Wanted… Preferably Dead
by Latanya
Summary: Tasya is a monster slayer and a bounty hunter. When she saves Van Helsing during a fight, she lets slip that she knows his past. In a race against time, Van Helsing must save her from her self chosen doom and rediscover the life he once lived
1. Chapter One: The hunter

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gabriel Van Helsing, etc, etc, etc. However, I do own anything that I created which means that Tasya Van Lura is mine.

Chapter One: The Hunter.

            His hand tightened around the grip of the sword in his hand as his eyes swept across the room carefully. If he missed anything, even the slightest movement, his life would probably be forfeit. Ah! There it was – a slight movement in the shadows beside that wall. Hopefully, there wouldn't be enough noise to attract anything because God knew; he was a wanted man in this city… just as he was in nearly every other city.

            A man wanted for murder because the world didn't know or understand what he truly did. Nor did they know that he worked for a holy order based in the Vatican City where the Pope lived. Funny that. He was a holy man who committed murder for a living with the blessing of who knows how many priests and bishops and monks.

            The creature leapt out at him and Van Helsing swung the sword around to meet it. However, the creature's weight forced him to the ground as the jaws snapped rather too close to his face. Kicking the creature in the gut, he managed to maneuver the sword between his face and the snarling beasts.

            Suddenly a bolt impaled itself in the flesh of the back of the creatures left shoulder, causing it to scream out in both pain and anger. Van Helsing was only just able to stand up and to hold the sword in front of him before the creature turned its anger towards him. Another bolt thudded into the creature's back, distracting it long enough for the man to see a cloaked figure standing a few meters away with a crossbow ready to fire again.

            "If you could get it to turn towards me, I would really appreciate that." A voice came to him, the tones distinctly female.

            "How exactly do you propose I do that without it killing me?" He asked, watching the creature as it once again decided that he was the cause of his pain. "This is thing is very angry."

            With what sounded like a sigh, she shot the creature a third time. However, this time the bolt went into the back of its head, causing the creature to swing around enough for Van Helsing to run past it, towards the woman. Howling in anger, the beast turned completely and the woman was able to aim a bolt for one of its eyes. When the bolt pierced its eye, the creature collapsed to the ground, very much dead.

            "With trolls you have to shoot them through the eye otherwise any other wounds just make them angry. The eye is the only vulnerable place, which is why is it such a hard target to hit. You need to have a really good shot." She pulled the hood of her cloak forward to cover her face more and inclined her head to Van Helsing. "You are a wanted man, Gabriel Van Helsing, this city is not safe for you to remain for too long."

            She spun about on her heel and started off into the shadows but turned back when she remembered her crossbow bolts, which were still imbedded in the troll. Van Helsing watched her place a booted foot on the troll and pull the bolts that could be recovered out of it before anyone stumbled on the dead thing. While she was doing that, her hood fell back, allowing him to see what she looked like. At the sight of her, a faint recognition filled him though Van Helsing couldn't be sure of where he might have met her before, as he couldn't remember her at all.

            "Who are you?" He asked, his eyes taking in the slightly below shoulder length black hair and the slender figure that possessed more strength than it showed.

            "I am called Tasya Van Lura." The strange woman turned around and he saw her face clearly.

            Tasya Van Lura was slightly shorter than Van Helsing and she possessed the most intriguing blue eyes. In fact, she reminded him of Anna in a way… not just because of her confident way of moving or her slight accent that told him she came from Romania.

            "The bounty hunter? When did you turn from hunting men to hunting beasts?" Van Helsing knew of her reputation and could finally put a face to the name that his "employers" warned him to stay away from.

            She inclined her head, "Rather you should ask when I turned away from hunting beasts to hunt men. Since you started beating me to all the kills, I have been loosing things to do. That is the only reason why I turned to being a bounty hunter."

            "I have been hunting beasts for quite some while since the Knights of the Holy Order saved my life. How long have you been a bounty hunter?" His dark eyes met hers, the recognition still there in his mind.

            Smiling faintly, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and pulled the hood back over her head, "For as long as you have been Gabriel Van Helsing. For as long as you have though you would not begin to know how long that has been for. Tell me, have you ever received letters sent to you in the Vatican City from an anonymous writer? One telling you that they know your past?"

            Van Helsing blinked slowly, thinking carefully before he replied to her, "Indeed I have but what would you know about those letters?"

            "Wouldn't you like to know?" Van Lura turned away and started off into the shadows again, the crossbow held over her shoulder. "Leave this city Van Helsing. You are even more wanted than I am."

            "You are wanted?" He followed her out of the building into the alleyway.

            "Haven't you seen the wanted posters? I'm surprised since they are to be found quite often beside the posters advertising you. Though they want you alive to be tried, they want me dead. Apparently my crimes are so much more heinous than yours since I am a woman." She turned to glance at him, shaking her head.

            Taking a deep breath, Gabriel looked around to make sure that there was no one around who might alert the authorities to their presence. "Who are you exactly Tasya Van Lura? Besides being the infamous woman bounty hunter. I have heard of you but I have never met you before. However, something keeps telling me that we have met before."

            She snorted back laughter and walked along the side of the street, remaining wherever possible, as much in the shadows as she could. "I suppose you could say that."

            "Say what?"

            "That we have met before. However, your dear Knights of the Holy Order have made me swear never to tell you where we knew each other… or how… or when. Now, I am sworn to silence on that matter and will only tell you that we did know each other at some point in time." Her blue eyes glittered sadly though Van Helsing missed the expression in the dark.

            "They swore you to silence? Why do they want you to remain silent when you know things about my past that I do not remember? Things that you could tell me." His voice was filled with anger, directed at the strange woman.

            Remaining silent, she knocked on a door and murmured in Latin for the door to be opened. The sound of a bolt being pulled back and the door opening enough to allow Tasya to slip through caused her to tilt her head slightly to grin at Gabriel.

            "Perhaps we shall meet again Van Helsing though I hope that we do not for you could never know how much pain the sight of you causes me. If you ever regain your memories, remember me." She slipped through the door and it was slammed shut behind her with the sound of the bolt sliding home.

            He stood there staring at the door for a few moments before spinning on his heel to run down the street towards where he kept his horse… and where Carl was hiding himself while Van Helsing did the dirty work. If anyone could tell him anything about Tasya Van Lura, it would be that bumbling friar.

            Tasya stood at the window and watched the hunter disappear down the street before she turned to her companion. "Torgny, I made a terrible mistake in tracking him down. I should have known that the Knights spoke the truth when they told me that he did not remember his past from before. He has forgotten me completely."

            The man shook his head, "You had to find out the real truth for yourself Tasya but perhaps you should have done it a little more discreetly. God only knows what the Knights might have done to you if they find out that you alerted Van Helsing to the fact that you know his past."

            "It is so entwined with my own that I should have known without asking."

            "Is he greatly changed from how he was when you were younger?" Torgny queried thoughtfully.

            She nodded, "A great deal. I believe that he has changed greatly due to his fight with Dracula and his becoming a werewolf. His heart was broken by Anna Valerious' death though if he knew his past, it would not have greatly affected him so."

            "Could it have been for the best that he did not remember you Tasya? Your fight with Vladimir is your own and not his." Her companion did not sound convinced with his statement and Tasya smiled faintly.

            "I felt his fight with Dracula and the pain he suffered while he was a werewolf. Would he not feel my pain?"

            Turning away, Torgny couldn't bare to see the hurt reflected in the woman's eyes. His job was to keep her safe, to make sure she stayed alive. The Knights had charged him with that duty many years ago though the hunter had grown quite distant from the holy order since they refused to allow her to tell Van Helsing about his past.

            "I leave in three hours Torgny. You do not have to come with me this time for I fear that I will not be coming back." She called to him as she curled up in a warm rug at the window.

            "I will come with you as far as the Carpathian's. Then I will ride to the Vatican City to inform them of your intention." He replied. "Forgive me Tasya, but it is my duty to do so."

            Tasya grinned, "Indeed it is and I would not expect anything less from you my friend. Do not forget to give Van Helsing that letter I wrote for him. You must place it in his hand yourself."

            "I do not think the Order would like that."

            "Do it for me as a friend Torgny. That is all I ask of you. Consider it my last wish…." Her voice wavered and the man could tell she was thinking again.

            "Carl!" Van Helsing snapped at the friar angrily, "Do not delay any longer. We must ride to the Vatican City at once."

            The Friar shook his head, "I don't know why you're in such a hurry Van Helsing. It isn't like the city is going to disappear before we get there."

            "There is something I must find out and I will not be denied by those meddling priests!"

            Swinging up onto his horses' back, Van Helsing waited for Carl to finish before they could leave. He was impatient to get away, to find out who Tasya Van Lura was and why she was forbidden to tell him about his past. She had obviously sought him out with the intention of finding out what he knew about her and about his past but _why_ was the question. If she had been told to remain silent on the matter of his history, why would she go against those orders and seek him out like that?

            "What's on your mind Van Helsing, that has put you in such a hurry to return to Vatican City? You cannot be surely excited to be giving your next mission… can you?" Carl asked in a worry. This was quite unlike his companion.

            Van Helsing glanced at him, "What do you know about Tasya Van Lura?"

            "The bounty hunter? Not much besides the fact that she used to work for the Knights of the Holy Order doing the same job as you do but then she split away from the Order and started taking on jobs as a bounty hunter." The friar murmured.

            "Is that all you know about her?"

            "I heard that the reason she went off was because she came to blows with the Order over a matter that was quite serious. Wasn't long after you had arrived, I believe."

            The hunter paused in his thoughts for a moment before shaking his head. "It could all be just a coincidence but I don't think it is."

            He arched an eyebrow, "What could be a coincidence Van Helsing? What aren't you telling me?"

            "I don't actually know just yet Carl. I don't know but it could be something that will lead me to another key to my past."

            "Tasya Van Lura might know something about your past? How could that be?"

            Helsing grinned, "I was hoping that the Order could tell me that."


	2. Chapter Two: Dreams

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gabriel Van Helsing, etc, etc, etc. However, I do own anything that I created which means that Tasya Van Lura is mine. Also, I wasn't aware that this story was a Mary Sue as I try to stay away from the idea of the absolutely perfect female/male character. Tasya does have as many weaknesses as I can throw into her character, first and foremost being her incredible stubbornness and pride. Also, she is not the "most beautiful woman alive" she had slightly below shoulder length black hair that has a tendency to curl when it gets wet (like my best friend's hair) blue eyes and is about the same height as Van Helsing. She's slender but not skinny and she doesn't have "plenty there for men to look at" – she's "average". And I just want to say that I appreciate constructive criticism but I do not like flames telling me that the story is a god forsaken Mary Sue! I like polite reviews, not rude ones. Right, rave over and thank you to the nice reviewers.

Chapter Two: Dreams.

"_Gabriel!" A woman's familiar voice called out to him. "I have been waiting for you to arrive for quite some time."_

_ He smiled, bowing to her when he reached the top of the stairs. "My love, I am sorry I was late but I had to meet someone."_

_ Her brilliant blue eyes glittered happily, "You have nothing to be sorry for Gabriel Van Helsing, and I am used to waiting for you. Besides, I am a Valerious and we are taught patience from birth."_

_ "Well I am sorry all the same Hanne for how could I willingly make you wait for me without some guilt on my part. Now, I have a present for you my sweet."_

_ Taking something out of a pocket of his coat, Gabriel bid her turn around. Fastening the necklace around her neck, he brushed aside the mass of black curls and kissed her skin softly. Hanne smiled in delight, looking down at the silver and amber pendant that he had just given her._

_ "Oh Gabriel! It is just delightful! Thank you." She spun about and threw her arms around his neck. "Just like you are."_

_ "I want you to wear it always Hanne Valerious, so that you will remember me forever. Because I will never forget you nor will I ever stop loving you." He murmured in her ear and she knew why he said it._

_ "My cousin will not tear us apart Gabriel. I will not marry him and father will not make me. He is evil and I am glad that you have come back." She regarded him with a solemn expression._

_ Gabriel inclined his head, "Hanne, I must confess that I have been charged with the task of killing him. Your uncle came to the Vatican City and asked for help. He must be destroyed before his evil can spread. Those who make deals with the Devil do not deserve to live."_

_ She nodded, "You have that task but I will help you. For now his evil is directed towards me and I would not have it so. The Knights of the Holy Order must know that he will doom the world with his darkness."_

_ "Your family lives under a curse now. Your uncle has sworn that the Valerious family will not rest until his son has been destroyed and his evil with him. Hanne, you must not risk your life to help destroy him… you are the only female of your family left and it is important that the Valerious family does not end." His breath moved her hair away from her neck and she chuckled softly._

_ "Indeed but I have my brothers and they will ensure that we do not end for they are too young for any of this to effect them just yet. Father would never allow them to get involved at the tender ages of fifteen." Hanne frowned, laying her head against his shoulder. "Gabriel Van Helsing, I hope you never leave me for long for I could not bare parting with you for long."_

_ Van Helsing grinned, "And I could not part with the woman I love for long. We are two souls entwined together with the same destiny and no one could stop us from being together."_

_ She kissed him again, "Alas, we cannot make too many plans for we have a great evil to fight before we can settle down peacefully. You are God's chosen to combat and hunt down evil to save the world from darkness."_

_ "Hanne Valerious, I swear to you that we will be wedded one day and that we will establish a family. The only thing that stands in our way is your cousin."_

_ "One day my love, I will have to change my name." Hanne smiled like the cat that had gotten into the cream._

_ Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "What would you change it to?"_

_ "I've always liked…"_

"Van Helsing? Are you awake Van Helsing?" Carl asked curiously, peering over at the other man.

Startling, Van Helsing hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. "It was so very real Carl. It was so real."

The friar frowned; waiting to find out what Gabriel was talking about. "What was so real Van Helsing? You were asleep…."

"It was Tasya Van Lura but her name was Hanne Valerious in my dream… or was it a memory that I had forgotten? We were in love and she was Dracula's cousin and the target of his evil. I think we were meant to get married but I cannot be sure. She and I seemed close and I gave her a necklace with an amber pendant and promised her that I would always be there for her, that I would always remember her and that I would always love her." He stared into the faintly glowing embers of the fire, his mind a whirlpool of confused thoughts.

"What exactly are you talking about Van Helsing? You really aren't making any sense to me. Who is Hanne Valerious and what does she have to do with Tasya Van Lura?" The holy man shook his head.

Lifting his eyes to meet Carl's, Van Helsing smiled faintly, "I remembered something from my past. Actually, I remembered someone who mattered a lot to me."

"This Hanne Valerious? Or Tasya Van Lura?"

"They are one and the same. Tasya Van Lura was born Hanne Valerious. She was the cousin of Dracula and the woman he planned to marry… to sire his evil upon in order to spread darkness over the world. I was madly in love with her and she with me but we could not be together until Dracula had been destroyed. What happened, I don't know." His voice was sad as he spoke of what he had remembered in the dream.

The gentleness of her lips on his was still imprinted on his mind and Van Helsing desired nothing more than to turn about and race his horse back to that small city where he had met Tasya Van Lura and to beg her to tell him everything. And to crush his lips against hers to reclaim whatever memories that would awaken.

_"However, something keeps telling me that we have met before."_

_ She snorted back laughter and walked along the side of the street, remaining wherever possible, as much in the shadows as she could. "I suppose you could say that."_

_ "Say what?"_

_ "That we have met before."_

"I should have pressed her more Carl. She gave me enough clues to tell me that she knew things about my past. If only I had made her tell me, I would know things now that I did not know before… things that I still don't know but should!"

Carl arched an eyebrow at him, "Are you any the better for not knowing? How much difference would it have made if she had told you? Would you be any less a wanted man? Man who is called a murderer in most places across Europe?"

He rose and picked up his hat to place it on his head, "I at least would know if I have a family. At least I would know where I came from. At least I might have some clue as to how old I am, who I am. What I am."

"Could she have told you all of that Van Helsing? Could she have told you how old you are? Where you come from? What you are?"

"Yes she could have!" He shouted, annoyed that Carl was not seeing things his way. "I am not returning to the Vatican City with you now Carl."

"Why exactly not?" The friar asked in surprise.

"I have to go to Transylvania to find answers. In my memory, I was talking to Tasya in the Valerious home… where Anna lived. There must be answers in the library there, answers that could help me." Van Helsing threw the saddle blanket on the back of his horse before lifting the saddle onto its back. "I don't expect you to come with me Carl, I know what you think about going into dangerous places like that."

He shook his head and got up to saddle his own horse, "I'll come with you Gabriel Van Helsing because it's my job to make sure you stay alive. God only knows what the people in charge would do to me if I let you get hurt."

Nodding his head, the monster hunter hurriedly packed up the camp. "You know Carl, I have a suspicion that we're going to be riding into more danger than we think."

Kicking the fire out, Carl shrugged, "Isn't that the way that things always are? We quite often seem to get into more trouble than we expect. What kind of danger do you believe is awaiting us? Dracula is dead. You killed him."

"I don't know Carl but I know deep down that Dracula has something to do with it." Helsing returned to his horse and swung himself into the saddle. "When you kill a vampire, anything it created is killed also right?"

"Indeed. I believe that is the case." The friar followed suit and struggled to get himself into the saddle.

Gabriel Van Helsing smiled, inclining his head, "Well then, we should have nothing to worry about unless there are a few more werewolves out there that we didn't know about. Who knows how many people might have been bitten throughout history and who were neglected to be killed."

"Now you tell me that!"

Tasya reined her horse to a halt and stared up at the mighty mountains of the Carpathians, a mournful expression on her pretty face. Beside her, Torgny muttered curses and checked his supply of silver bullets. She had reminded him that there might very well be many werewolves roaming about the place and that they had best go in well armed.

"Oh do stop fussing Torgny, you're starting to annoy me. Besides, you did say that you were going to turn back and ride for Rome when we reached this point." She turned her blue eyes to look at him.

He gulped, appearing quite unlike the man he had had to become in order to survive in the world, to cope with her ruthless drive. For a moment he looked like the priest he once was, terrified of going out into the world and facing the evils to be found there. "I was thinking Tasya, you might need my help in case you meet any monsters."

"Some how I doubt that Torgny. Why don't you return to the Vatican City and make your peace with your superiors and go back to living your safe life there? I do not need you any more for I ride to my final battle."

Torgny could tell she was putting on a brave front and smiled. "Why are you so determined to get yourself killed Tasya Van Lura? What are you running from?"

She swung around and he found her sword at his throat, "I am not running from anything Torgny! If by any chance I should survive my battle with Vladimir, I do not plan to return to the life I have been living. No, I will find some place where I am unknown, where I am not wanted for murder and I will make myself a life to live. I am sick of all the death that I reap around me. Where is the wrong in that?"

"You must find a way to redeem the evil you have done Tasya and running from your mission in life is not the way. Your soul will be eternally damned if you do." He replied.

"My soul was damned the day that God took my love away from me Torgny. He is the one who changed what my mission in life was to be and if it wasn't for him, I would not be here right now, feeling the pain that I do in knowing that my love is out there and has forgotten me through some design of His. There is nothing that God can do to me any more that will hold my soul to this job. And if by some slim change I live through this fight that I have put off for so long… if I live, should I be so unlucky in my fate, I will find myself a life somewhere even if it means becoming a nun."

Coughing, he couldn't imagine a woman like Tasya wearing the habit of a nun and dedicating her life to prayer. She was too strong and too stubborn. "So this is what you intend to do? You desire to ride towards your death with no thoughts of what it might do to Van Helsing? Do you think that he would be able to understand why he feels the pain you do when you fight against Vladimir?"

Her eyes darkened, becoming almost the color of a stormy sky, "Do not try to make me guilty about this Torgny! Van Helsing does not remember me and I have chosen to try and forget him. Should you mention his name again to me with the intention of stopping me from fighting Vladimir, I swear that I will kill you even if it causes me great pain to do so."

"If that is your choice, I can do nothing to stop you. But I can however, give you God's blessing and pray that you kill Vladimir. Should you ever wish to find me again Tasya Van Lura, you know that you can discover my whereabouts in Rome for I will return there for a while. You never know, my time with you might have changed me too much to allow a life like I once lived to give me any pleasure." Torgny bowed his head, crossing himself as he did so. "Walk with God."

"And you also Torgny, for you are more deserving of his protection than I am. Your soul is a clean plate compared to mine." She smiled sadly and kicked her horse into a gallop, heading for the trail that lead up into the mountains.

Watching her go, the one-time priest crossed himself again and yelled, "May God and Peace be with you Hanne Valerious!"

If she had heard him call her by her old name, the one that she hated with a passion, he did not know but Torgny turned his horse around and started back towards Rome. Hopefully the Knights of the Holy Order would not punish him when they heard the story of what had happened over the years he had spend guarding the woman. Hopefully he would be able to give Gabriel Van Helsing the letter she had charged him with.

"I hope you don't get yourself killed in this Tasya because one day I believe you will have to become Hanne Valerious again. You who was born a Princess in your own right." He muttered, glancing over his shoulder in the hope that he would be able to see her still.

She halted again, letting the horse pick his way up the trail carefully. She had heard Torgny call her by her true name and tears had come to her eyes when he did so. But Hanne Valerious was dead and Tasya Van Lura had taken her place. The heart that was once so full of love and passion was now cold and determined. The woman who was once so full of life and willing to share it with everyone was now a cold-blooded killer who wanted revenge on those who had stolen her lover away from her.

_"I want you to wear it always Hanne Valerious, so that you will remember me forever. Because I will never forget you nor will I ever stop loving you."_

Tasya had lost the amber pendant at some point not long after Gabriel had been taken from her. She had lain down to sleep one night with it around her neck and the next morning it had disappeared. No matter how much she had tried to find it, the necklace had evaded her efforts, denying her at least that comfort. Now she had nothing of Gabriel Van Helsing to call her own.

"Why did you have to leave me Gabriel? You promised that you would never forget me!" She moaned, letting her head fall forward so that her hair covered her face. "You promised."

_"And I could not part with the woman I love for long. We are two souls entwined together with the same destiny and no one could stop us from being together."_

His words still played on her mind even after all these years.

"You never meant it Van Helsing and now you will never know."


	3. Chapter Three: Strange meetings

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gabriel Van Helsing, etc, etc, etc. However, I do own anything that I created which means that Tasya Van Lura is mine.

Chapter Three: Strange meetings.

Torgny set up camp on his own, wondering how far his one time companion had reached. He hoped she was still safe and not suffering too much from her inner pains and the turmoil that had begun to tear apart her soul. Tethering his horse to a tree where it could graze on the lush green grass, he set about gathering a pile of wood to start a fire. The nights were beginning to get cold and he had always hated the cold.

"At least I am down here where is it warmer. Tasya is riding through the Carpathians where it will be starting to snow soon enough. She should have waited for the end of winter before she started for Transylvania in order to kill Vladimir." He spoke out loud, trying to provide himself with the human vocal company he was beginning to miss.

She had never been a talkative person but at least she had been someone else who would speak. Since he left her at the foot of the Carpathians, Torgny had noticed the change at night when one did not have someone else there to speak with. Even the lack of simple human company had made the world seem a very different place during the long hours of darkness. When he set up camp each night, Torgny pulled out the letter Tasya had written for Van Helsing and stared at it. He wondered what was written on the pages with-in and felt like opening it every single night. But remembering his duty and his promise, he never did for he felt it would be betraying her trust in him.

No, the letter was for Gabriel Van Helsing. For his eyes alone and Torgny understood her desire for that to be the way things were. The man she had once loved would be the last person in the world to read her words and to understand her troubled mind. Torgny would have liked it if he had been that person but Van Helsing was the one Tasya had chosen to have that honor and if there was anything he could do to ensure that her last wish was completed, Torgny would make sure of it.

"Where are you now Tasya Van Lura? How far have you made it? Are the nights as lonely for you as they are for me? Do you miss the lack of human company and conversation? The lack of someone there with whom you can discuss your crazy plans with and whom you can turn to in order to make more plans?" He turned his eyes towards where the Carpathian Mountains rose in the distance.

Every day they grew smaller as he rode further from them. Each day he put more miles between him and the person he had been charged with to protect and it hurt him to think that she might be there in need of his help and his knowledge.

"Ha! She is older than you are Torgny and she knows many more things than you. Tasya always suffered your presence because when it came down to a fight, she could always use someone who would be able to throw her more weapons." He snapped at himself, not noticing that there were two people riding towards him.

Setting fire to the branches he had gathered, Torgny was surprised when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. There was a crossbow aimed at him in the grip of a tall man dressed in black with a large hat covering part of his face. Behind the man was another who was holding the reins to two horses and looking rather perturbed at the position the individuals had found themselves in.

"A lone man riding through this area is a curious thing. Who are you to be attempting such a feat?" Van Helsing asked curiously, his dark eyes narrowed.

Torgny blinked, "I wasn't alone when I started. My companion left me at the foot of the Carpathians to continue on her path while I have chosen to ride back to Rome. Now tell me Van Helsing, why you are riding in the direction I have just returned from?"

The other man startled, almost dropping the reins he held, "You know who Van Helsing is?"

"Indeed for I once served the Knights of the Holy Order. You must be the priest they send out with him as they once sent me out with the person I have recently parted with." He nodded towards the holy man.

"Well, I'm only a friar not a priest." Carl muttered.

Helsing lowered his crossbow a little and stared at Torgny, "You have just recently parted with your companion? You said that your companion left you at the foot of the Carpathians while she chose to continue on her path."

"She did indeed chose to leave me there for her mission lays deep within Transylvania in a place that I believe you are familiar with if you are indeed, the infamous Gabriel Van Helsing."

"You are the one who was traveling with Tasya Van Lura!" He exclaimed in shock. "There is much I would learn from you priest, if you are the one who accompanied that particular woman."

Turning away, Torgny walked over to his gear and rummaged through until he found where he had carefully placed the letter from Tasya. Returning to Van Helsing and Carl, he held it out, a faint smile on his face. "Everything you need to know is contained within this letter I believe. Tasya charged me with ensuring that it made it to you. She made me swear that I would be the one who placed it in your hands only and no one else was to ever touch it."

Carl nodded and started to unpack their gear from the horses. "Good man, would you be able to help me? I do hope you won't mind our sharing your good camping place with you."

Staring at the letter, Van Helsing wasn't surprised to discover that he recognized the carefully written name 'Gabriel Van Helsing' on the front. The style was so familiar to him that he couldn't help but smile. Walking away from the other two men, he carefully opened the letter, breaking the red wax seal that had been imprinted with the seal that was the same as the ring he wore. The ring that had once been Dracula's before he took it from him. He stared at the pages of writing and started to read.

_"To my dearest Gabriel,_

_You do not remember me any more it would seem but I hope that you will pay heed to these words, which I pen to you. Once I was called Hanne Valerious and was the cousin to the man who became Dracula. You were sent by the Knights of the Holy Order to destroy him and we fell in love. Though you had been sent to stop his evil from spreading, your mission changed from that to making sure that he could never hurt me again. Oh how we loved then my Gabriel but you were stolen from me after you had killed him and so damned my family for years to come. God only knows what took you away from me, the woman you had promised to live out the rest of your life with but I cannot ever express how much sorrow I felt at your leaving. You promised me that you would never to forget me or to stop loving me… I promised the same to you and I have kept that promise. Gabriel, I am not sorry that I helped you in that city but I should have told you everything that you wanted to know then. How we laughed, how we smiled, I was yours and you were mine. We loved then Gabriel and nothing would have stood in our way. Please forgive me for never making myself contact you but the Order would not have me tell you everything. You are the hand of God upon this earth. You are the one charged with destroying the evil that walks among mankind and dooms his way. I was the one charged with making you happy, the charged with making sure that the pain of what you did never stopped you. I was chosen to make sure that your heart remained pure and that you were never hurt to deeply but something didn't want that to happen. Our lives are entwined and we can never really be parted, at least, that I what I have always believed. You were never told but angel's blood flows in your veins. No one knows who your parents were or where you came from. Not even I know if you have a family out there somewhere. It was always my belief that you were sent directly from God to do his work. Why you lost your memories, I do not know and I cannot begin to tell you what you have forgotten for I don't know the full scope of it. I can however remind you of our love and that you do have someone out there who cares for you and who considers you family. When I was told about Anna Valerious, I found it amusing to think that no matter what, you always fall for the strong and stubborn women of the Valerious family for I was very much like Anna - once. Gabriel, by the time you get this, I will have departed from Torgny at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains and will have ridden to Castle Dracula where an old foe of mine has taken residence since you killed his 'brother in blood'. Vladimir was my cousin's closest friend and companion and when my cousin sold his soul to the Devil, Vladimir did the same. He is yet another Vampire who would spread evil throughout the world. I go now to fight the final battle with him and I do not expect to return for it is my belief that I will be killed in destroying Vladimir. If I do not succeed, you will know and if I do, you will never be able to find me for I will part with this dark life I have lived and take up yet another new name for myself and live a peaceful life. May you never know the full scope of the pain I feel in writing this for I know that you will feel my fight with Vladimir as I felt your fight with Dracula and the pain you suffered when you turned into a werewolf. I felt your heart break when Anna died and it made mine break as well. Forgive me Gabriel, for I have forgiven you everything and I hope that we shall both find peace one day in Heaven where we will be able to love again._

_Your once beloved Hanne Valerious,_

_Tasya Van Lura."_

He feel tears forming in his eyes when he finished reading her letter. The words swam before him and Van Helsing slumped back against a tree, clutching the paper to his chest. "Hanne." He moaned in sorrow.

Carl looked over at him in worry before glancing at Torgny, "What do you think he reads that could shock him in such a way? Who is this Tasya Van Lura?"

"Her name was once Hanne Valerious and she was the cousin of the one you know of as Dracula. She and Van Helsing were lovers, they were to be married after they destroyed Dracula." Torgny shook his head.

"Why weren't they?"

"She never told me any more than this. Apparently after he killed Dracula and damned him to become what he did, Van Helsing disappeared. No one ever knew what happened to him and Hanne spent many years searching the world for him before she turned to the Knights of the Holy Order for help. She became a monster slayer for them and a dutiful one. She served without question and obeyed blindly for she was broken from the loss of the one she loved. When Van Helsing turned up on the stairs of the Holy City, she trusted to hope again but she was forbidden to ever go near him, to ever speak to him. I was with her when that happened and one night we stole away and never returned." The priest told the other man, watching Van Helsing carefully.

Van Helsing noticed Torgny and cried out, storming over to grip him around the throat in an iron grip, "You left her to ride into this danger on her own! Why?"

"Van Helsing!" Carl was shocked by the man's behavior.

"She charged me with getting that letter to you so that you would know. We have been friends for so long and Tasya did not want me to die as well for she knows that she is riding to her death. That letter was not meant to reach you so soon for she did not expect me to find you until I had reached Rome at least. But it has reached you now and I have only been parted from her for three days! With luck, you can reach her and help her destroy Vladimir. With luck, you can save her from the doom she had chosen for herself!" Torgny managed to get out despite the hand wrapped around his throat.

Letting go of the man, Van Helsing watched him drop to the ground before turning to Carl, "We must not stop to camp at night. It is important that we reach her soon."

"But Van Helsing, how will we find her? It is the beginning of winter and she is in the Carpathian Mountains somewhere!" The friar thought that he was acting a little unreasonable.

"In her letter, Hanne told me that this Vladimir has taken up residence in Castle Dracula. That is where she has headed. She is going to the same place that we were."

"The Valerious mansion?"

Torgny nodded, "That is the only way that someone without wings can find Castle Dracula. She will be going there to go through the mirror-door. It is the only way."

Van Helsing folded up the letter and slipped it inside his shirt, "I will not let her die for she is the key to my past."

"She is not just the key Van Helsing. Tasya Van Lura or Hanne Valerious as she was once called, _is_ your past. But if you do find her, try not to call her Hanne for if pains her terribly when she is called by the name she has chosen to discard."

Glaring at the priest, Van Helsing signaled to Carl that he should help pack up their gear. Doing so, Carl heard the monster hunter growl at Torgny, "You can come with us or not. It is your choice. However, I will not suffer fools easily."

The man replied, "I am not a fool. If I was, Tasya would have killed me a long time ago for she will not suffer fools at all."

"If you come with us, I want to know everything about her and I will expect you to provide me with the information that I want to know. If you don't, I will kill you or worse, I will send you back to the Vatican City." Gabriel smiled darkly.

Gulping, Torgny nodded, "I quite understand Van Helsing and I can assure you, I will do whatever I can to make sure you know as much as possible about her before you two meet again… if you do in fact meet again."

His eyes narrowed, "What do you mean if we do meet again? She has only been gone for three days. We will catch up with her."

"She is a Valerious. She knows this place like the back of her hand. If she does not want to be found, we will not find her. And the other danger is that Vladimir might find her before we do."

"Well then, we had best hurry up and leave."

When they had finished packing up the camp, the two holy men were quick to mount their horses and follow Van Helsing for the fear of being the cause of a foul mood. Little did they know that Torgny would be right about Tasya choosing not to be found for she did not wish Vladimir to discover her location which meant that no one else would either. Unless she made a few mistakes.


	4. Chapter Four: Wings in the dark

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but what I created.

Chapter Four: Wings in the dark.

"Great." She muttered, slowing down the pace she was going at so that she could pull the crossbow she carried from its place behind her saddle.

Something was out there following her at roughly the same pace. Tasya didn't have any idea what it was but she knew that it wasn't friendly in the least. Beneath her skilled hands, the horse moved on at a slow canter, remaining blissfully unaware that there was any danger around for the woman remained as calm and centered as possible to prevent any signals from reaching the animal. Keeping her mind clear and focused, Tasya listened for any sounds which might betray where the thing that was following her could be found… or even what it was.

"I sincerely hope that it is not another werewolf that's following me."

And as night began to fall, the clouds above her warned Tasya that there was a storm on the way. She only hoped that it would not be a blizzard because she was not prepared for something like that. Now if only she could reach that line of trees in the distance before it hit, she might have some shelter if it snowed.

"Great. Just great."

"Van Helsing, it's going to snow." Torgny muttered. "We have to find somewhere to shelter otherwise we could very well die."

He shoot a look at the man, beginning to wish that he had sent him back to Rome when they'd first met up, "Oh do shut up Torgny. What matters is that we find Tasya before Vladimir does. How far away do you think she could be? We found signs of her back at the last lot of trees and they showed that she was only a day a head of us."

Carl rolled his eyes. A day into the Carpathians they had found the remains of a werewolf and Torgny had claimed that it was Tasya's work from the sight of a broken bolt with a silver tip. He'd told them that all of her crossbow bolts were silver tipped because she was often wont to ride into the Carpathians between missions. Van Helsing had wanted to know why she did that and Torgny had informed Van Helsing that after himself, the Carpathians were the next thing close to her heart. That had been the end of the conversation for the day and Van Helsing had said nothing at all until later that night.

"Do you think she could be hurt from her fight with that werewolf we found back there? It's obviously slowed up her traveling if she is only a day ahead of us." The friar asked thoughtfully, though from what he had been told, it seemed quite unlikely that Tasya would have allowed herself to be hurt.

"One would hope that if she has indeed been hurt, it is not very serious else she is in danger of infection or frostbite." The other holy man spoke over Van Helsing to Carl much to the hunter's dismay.

"Must you always be so rude as to talk over another person without including them in your conversation?" He snapped angrily at Torgny.

Torgny went to speak again but a sharp look from Van Helsing made him think again before responding. He was swiftly finding that the monster hunter found his company quite trying though he could not begin to understand why. It made him remember Tasya's opinion of him when he first started traveling with her. She had always found his chatter annoying in the beginning and had been oft to tell him to be quiet when she decided that she'd had enough of listening to him. He had always been a talkative man and couldn't understand why people were often inclined to remain silent and withdrawn.

Glancing at Gabriel, Carl wasn't sure of what to think of his reaction to Torgny. He had heard a fair bit about the priest and quite often he had been told that the man was to be found rather disagreeable and disinclined to act with the propriety expected by a priest. He had also been told that Torgny was an intelligent man who could think his way out of situations with speed and swiftness especially when his life was in danger. If Torgny believed that Tasya was in danger, he would have spoken more about it.

Therefore, he must have no real worries about her safety as yet and his assurances in her capabilities must be rather high. Nonetheless, Carl felt free to worry about Tasya on his own without inflicting his views upon anyone else.

"What are you thinking about Carl, that is keeping you so quiet? I would have thought that you and Torgny would be discussing something religious or whatnot." Van Helsing murmured to his companion. "Though I am rather thankful that the man has fallen silent for a short time as his conversation is beginning to get on my nerves."

He smiled, "Indeed Van Helsing but you must excuse the man for I'm sure that traveling with Tasya Van Lura for so long has prevented him from discussing anything of any consequence with anyone new. Perhaps he has forgotten how to converse with anyone else and is therefore trying out his misplaced skills?"

The topic of their discussion glared at Van Helsing, unable to utterly work out why Tasya had ever fallen in love with him. He seemed to be a proud, solemn man who was really rather disagreeable in the general way. But, he was perhaps seeing him from the wrong side and not understanding the full extent of his possible personality. What Tasya saw in him was something he did not know and it could well be that what Torgny found dislikeable was what she found agreeable with her own sense of taste and personality.

"You accused me of being rude before Van Helsing and yet you are now discussing me while I am well within hearing." Torgny spoke, allowing his horse to fall back a little.

Van Helsing glanced at him, "I believe we were talking about you, not to you and it is really rude to listen in to other peoples conversations. Who now is over stepping their mark?"

The other man stiffened and grit his teeth. "Well then, we are as rude as each other Van Helsing. I cannot really understand why Tasya ever had such strong feelings for you for it is my strong belief that you really are disagreeable."

They watched as Torgny kicked his horse into a gallop and raced on a head of them. Carl turned to Helsing and raised an eyebrow, trying his best not to chuckle at the sight of the angry expression on his face. "Perhaps we should follow him in case he gets lost. Heavens knows, I do not think it will rest well with Van Lura if she discovers that we let her long time companion get himself lost in her mountains."

"Indeed, I believe it would not rest at all well with her. Let us follow him along and make sure that he does not get himself into any trouble or misfortune though I would find myself overly glad if he did for I confess that I have no reason to like him." Van Helsing inclined his head and nudged his horse into a gallop to follow after Torgny.

Carl frowned, "Really? I thought he was quite an interesting man. Especially when he speaks of Tasya's many adventures. But as it were, everyone is entitled to their own opinions."

Tasya lifted her face to the snow that had begun to fall. She groaned in displeasure and cursed whatever heathen god had decided to make the world whiter and colder than it already was. Pulling her hood closer around her face, she nudged her horse in to a faster gait with the very hope of reaching the trees that she could see ahead of her. Even as she went, they seemed to be getting further away though she assumed that it was because the cold was getting to her and the slash on her shoulder was beginning to pain her again though she had carefully wrapped it to stop it from bleeding any more or from her movement causing it to grow worse than it already was.

She was glad however; that the only wound she had received from the werewolf she had fought a few days back was the slash on her shoulder for there would have been nothing she could have done if the creature had bitten her. God only knew, the slash had been difficult enough as it was to treat and as soon as she could reach some adequate shelter where she could heat some water, she would have to clean it again and re-wrap it.

"Why does it have to be so infernally cold and damp? Sometimes I have to admit that I absolutely hate the snow!" Tasya growled to herself, pushing her horse into a gallop for her only hope was to reach shelter soon.

The horse beneath her was flagging in strength and Tasya knew she had pushed it to far. Well, once she reached shelter, both she and her mount would be able to rest for however long they would need to recover enough to continue on in their journey. As soon as they reached the town where the Valerious family had always lived, they would be better catered for. While the towns-people were increasingly suspicious of strangers, they knew Tasya to be a Valerious and one of their own, which caused them to welcome her among them like they would not welcome an unknown person.

"Come on my dear Valar for as soon as we reach those yonder trees, there will be shelter and rest for us both and you and I can recover our strength. Just a bit further and I will ask no more of you." She murmured, leaning forward to encourage more speed.

It was much to her relief when she reached the line of trees and was able to enter it and make use of the shelter that was offered by the trees. She slipped down off the horse and collapsed to the ground from over exertion of both her body and mind. Her horse nudged her gently in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. Though not knowing or intending, the horse had caught the slash she had received from the claws of the werewolf.

Struggling to stand up, Tasya conjured up enough strength to remove her gear from the poor horse and to tether him with a long rope to a tree that was well within the shelter provided. When she was finished, she couldn't rouse herself to attempt to start a fire and simply drew her cloak and a rug around her icy body to block out any more of the cold from reaching her bones. It was not long however, before long sleep had over taken her and she forgot her chill and drifted into the dream state where memories she tried so hard to forget awaited her as they did whenever she allowed herself to sleep.

Night had well and truly fallen by the time she awoke again and Tasya was aware of nothing but snow around her. It even covered her slightly though the warmth coming from her body wrapped in insulating material had caused some of the snow that had covered her to melt. She struggled to stand up, brushing the snow away from her body and peered about in the dark in the hope that she would be able to fine enough loose wood to make a small fire.

She was lucky enough to discover that the storm had blown itself out and the clouds had parted to allow the light of the full moon to shine down upon her. It provided enough light for her to see by once her eyes had adjusted. Searching about, she soon found just enough wood to light a small fire and once that was done, she set about gathering what more she could find.

"Do you always travel alone these days dear Hanne? Or do you simply desire to make yourself an easy meal for some creature that is to be found roaming about?" A males voice spoke from the shadows, causing her to startle.

Not to far away, her horse whinnied in fear, pulling at the rope that bound it to a tree. Tasya spun about, slipping a little on the snow. "Vladimir!"

He stepped out of the shadows and smiled darkly at her, "It has been to long since we last met dearest Hanne… why, not since you and your beloved Gabriel Van Helsing killed my closest friend and your very own cousin."

"Oh indeed for you are as evil as he was if not more so!" She growled, wondering where she had left her crossbow. "Why do you come here Vladimir? What causes you to seek me out?"

The vampire walked around her, his eyes taking in how much she had changed since he saw her last. She had grown a slight bit taller and she was a lot more slender than she once was. Indeed, her eyes shone with a dispassionate light that told him she had next to given up on life. Smiling even more, Vladimir halted in front of her, close enough for his breath to disturb her hair.

"You are very much changed since I saw you last Hanne. Why, the light in your eyes that once told of a love of life has gone and you have grown quite thin. If I did not know you better, I would be tempted to say that you have given up on life and have planned to find some way of dying a noble death as one to Valerious family should have."

"You cannot say that you know me Vladimir for I never liked you much considering the fact that you were the best friend of a most hated cousin. Given up on life? Well indeed! I still have every reason to go on living for once I have destroyed you, my mission will be complete and I will be able to go on with life." She snapped angrily, glaring up into his eyes.

Reaching out, Vladimir gripped her shoulder, digging his nails into the tender skin around the cut she had received. He chuckled when she cried out in pain and he tightened his grip considerably. "Come now Hanne, why would you desire to destroy me when I am one of the last who truly knows who you are? That is really quite ungrateful."

Biting her lip, Tasya replied, "Why should I ever have been grateful to you Vladimir? What reason have I to feel anything but the uttermost contempt for you?"

"What reason indeed?" He lowered his lips to her ear and murmured. "Where is your dear Gabriel now when his services would serve you greatly? Perhaps he is on his way to Rome to discover what he can about the infamous bounty hunter who goes by the name Tasya Van Lura? Or perhaps not?"

Her breath hissed out between her teeth as she replied, "I do not know what it is that you talk about! I have had no contact with Van Helsing for many a long year and I can assure you that he knows not of my existence any more."

Gripping her shoulder so tightly as to cause her to emit a faint scream of pain, Vladimir pulled her against him and lowered his teeth to her neck, biting down hard. Tasya fainted in his arms, slumping against him. When he had taken what he wanted, the vampire let her drop to the ground and stepped away with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Dearest Hanne, you always were a silly little girl. Now, please don't live for it would be the great inconvenience to me if you do."

Van Helsing heard a faint scream and kicked his horse into a gallop. "Hurry for I believe she's in danger!"

They raced towards the trees, hoping that they would find Tasya there. Just as they reached the trees, they saw a great dark creature fly off into the distance and both Carl and Van Helsing knew what it was – a Vampire.

"Hanne!" He shouted, leaping off his horse and racing into the trees.

Torgny followed at a short distance, terrified of what they would find there. When they discovered Tasya, Helsing was quick to gather her into his arms and try to wake her up.

Brushing the black curls away from her neck, he paled at the sight of the two puncture wounds reddening her skin. She was so pale though still alive – just. Shaking his head, Torgny pulled something out of his saddle packs and returned to Van Helsing and Tasya. He handed it to Gabriel and spoke.

"Take some and rub it into the bite for it should hopefully combat the venom of a Vampire. Tasya herself created it after spending many years studying the lore about Vampires in many countries."

Carl stared at it as Van Helsing scooped some of the ointment out and rubbed it on the bite on Tasya's neck. "What is it made from Torgny?"

"I am not sure but I believe it is a mix of garlic, holy water and finely ground silver among some things. Each ingredient is something that Vampires abhor."

When Van Helsing was finished, Torgny took the jar back and returned it to his packs. In the man's arms, Tasya moaned in pain, her eyelids fluttering. The three men exchanged looks before Carl crouched beside the woman and checked her mouth for any signs that blood had passed her lips.

"I do not think she has been touched in any way besides that bite by the Vampire. Why was she attacked though?" The friar asked, looking at Torgny thoughtfully.

"I would not be surprised if it was Vladimir who did this." The man replied. "For he should desire her dead more than anything else in the world. He seeks revenge for the death of Dracula and for the original betrayal that Hanne Valerious played a main part in. Should he discover that Van Helsing is here, he will not hesitate to attack again for Van Helsing was instrumental in the demise of his best and closest friend."

Wrapping Tasya up in warm rugs, Gabriel Van Helsing stayed close to her to wait for her to awaken. "Whatever the case, should this Vladimir come again, he will find me very angry and very ready for him."

The two holy men stared down at the fallen monster hunter and the man who held her heart in his hand. They had nothing to say on the matter and both set about making sure that there were weapons enough around should the Vampire return to finish the job he had started.


	5. Chapter Five: Pride and ignorance

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but what I created.

Chapter Five: Pride and ignorance.

            Tasya moaned in pain, lifting a hand to her neck before she had even bothered to open her eyes. There was something covering the wound on her neck and she wondered at that fact because if Vladimir had taken her to Castle Dracula, he would have hardly thought to bandage her neck.

            Opening her eyes, she met the worried brown eyes of Van Helsing and almost screamed in shock. It was too much for her system. "Van Helsing… what are you doing here? In fact, where is here?"

            He grinned, "I believe we're still in that patch of trees that we found you in moments after you were attacked by this Vladimir. How do you feel Miss Valerious?"

            "I feel faint and my shoulder causes me great pain. When you dealt with my neck, did you also treat the slash on the back of my shoulder for I had meant to do that but had not gotten around to it." She muttered, wondering who else was with the man.

            Hearing her voice, Torgny looked over. "Why Tasya, you appear to be awake and aware of the world again. How on earth did you manage to get yourself into such a situation?"

            Smiling faintly, Tasya tried to sit up, "Why Torgny! What are you doing in the terrible company you find yourself in? I should have thought better of you than to keep such friends."

            "Indeed so would I have thought! But your dear Van Helsing did not think that he would be able to find you with out my help seeing how I know your habits and he does not though I must admit, they are very much similar to his own I have discovered." The priest chuckled.

            Raising an eyebrow, Carl shook his head at her, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you Tasya Van Lura… or would you like to be called Hanne Valerious?"

            "Please, do call me Tasya Van Lura for I have discarded the name I was given at birth for it has no fond memories for me. Only heartache. No, my name is Tasya now, not Hanne; Van Lura, not Valerious." She murmured softly, wondering if Torgny had given her letter to Van Helsing.

            Lying back against the tree, Tasya observed the people around her. She was surprised that Torgny had allowed Van Helsing to drag him along after her but who this monk was, she didn't know. Thinking back over what she had heard about Van Helsing's defeat of Dracula, Tasya could only assume that the monk was the genius Carl.

            "You're doing some serious thinking there Tasya. What's on your mind?" Her one time companion grinned.

            She returned the grin with a dark glare, "What am I thinking? I'm thinking something along the lines of if you have done what I asked you to do already, I'll kill you."

            Torgny paled considerably, "Uh Tasya, please don't tell me that you are serious about that threat? I did do as you asked because you charged me with the duty and you did say that it had to reach that persons hands as soon as it could."

            "I'm going to kill you Torgny! As soon as I can stand up, I'm going to tear you limb from limb! Don't you realize that you have just ruined everything?" Tasya howled in anger, struggling to stand up.

            Van Helsing wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back down against him, his other arm circling around to pin her arms to her side. "Now Miss, that is not a good idea if I do say so myself. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself any more than you are already hurt?"

            The priest's eyes went wide and he rose quickly, "Carl, I think we should run now because she's going to kill Van Helsing. No one handles Tasya like that and lives to tell the tale."

            The woman's eyes were narrowed in fury and Gabriel was sure that if she had been a horse, her nostrils would have been flaring. "Don't you ever think about doing that again Van Helsing! Touch me again and I swear I will kill you. You haven't been around for so long and I cam quite capable of taking care of myself. I do not need your help or your worry."

            "Really? Tell me Hanne, if we had not turned up when we did, would you still be alive? Your dear Vladimir would have left you there in the snow to die and that would have totally defeated your purpose." He kept his arms wrapped firmly around her, knowing that if he let go, she would strike out at him.

            "Don't call me Hanne you insufferable bastard!"

            "What would you have me call you then beloved? Tasya? I'm sorry if you are upset, or angry but there is nothing I can do about it. If I could tell you why I was apparently taken away from you, I would but I have no memories save a few. One of which is the memory of giving you an amber pendant." Gabriel hissed at her.

            Tasya stilled, her eyes going wide in shock. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and she blinked it back. "You remember that?"

            "I do."

            She railed again, struggling to get out of his grip, "You promised never to forget me Gabriel! You promised! I'll never believe another word you say because you can't keep your promises!"

            Placing a hand on Carl's arm, Torgny nodded in the direction of the horses, "Perhaps we'd best go and see if they're alright?"

            "You can if you want." The friar muttered.

            "Come on Carl." He pulled the man along after him. "You're daft enough not to realize that they need to be alone to sort out their problems."

            He relaxed his grip on her and let her strike his chest with her fists. Tears were running down her cheeks and Tasya couldn't contain her anger and sorrow. When she was finished – simply because she had very little strength in her and channeling her emotions had drained what little she had – she collapsed against him, burying her face in his shirt to sob. Van Helsing wrapped his arms around her again and wondered at his own folly.

            "I don't know how I could have forgotten you Tasya but there had to be a reason why I did. The priests of the Holy Order are always telling me that God took my memories so that I could not remember my past evils." He murmured softly, hoping that she heard him.

            Between sobs, Tasya replied, "You were never an evil man Gabriel but you had a task that could be considered evil. Out of the two of us, I am the one with more evil on my soul for I am the one who became a bounty hunter in order to survive. I am the one who should have forgotten everything about her past."

            "What drove you to become a bounty hunter?"

            "The danger. After looking unsuccessfully for you for years, I slowly started to give up on life. Bounty hunting offered the danger of being caught and killed if I slipped up and made a mistake."

            He nodded, "But why did you also become a monster hunter? A slayer of evil?"

            "I was a Valerious at heart still and we have always had to hunt and kill monsters. Besides, I hoped that you were still alive and that by hunting monsters, I would meet you again somewhere." Her sobs had stopped and she was trying to regain her composure.

            Turning her head, she rested the side of her face against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She would enjoy these few moments but as soon as she could, she would escape from him and return to her original purpose. Vladimir would die by her hand and nothing would stand in her way. Not even Gabriel Van Helsing would stop her. Closing her eyes to block out the glare of sunlight reflecting off the snow, Tasya wasn't even aware when sleep overtook her.

            Van Helsing glanced down at Tasya; aware that her breathing had slowed to the point that he could tell she was asleep. Smiling, he rested his head back against the tree and waited for Torgny and Carl to return from seeing to the horses. Torgny had dragged Carl off with him because he knew that Van Helsing and Tasya needed to be alone to argue. When they came back, peering around the trees cautiously, he held a finger to his lips, warning them to stay quiet.

            Carl stared at her in shock, "She didn't kill you?" He whispered.

            He shook his head, "No but I wouldn't be surprised if I have some nice bruises tomorrow. She can hit hard."

            "She does indeed though her slap is just as evil." Torgny grinned.

            "Any sign of danger about? No werewolves or anything like that waiting for the right moment to attack us?"

            "Doesn't appear to be any but I'm not a skilled hunter like you and Tasya are…. How is she? No signs of any change going on?"

            The friar was searching though his notes when Torgny said that. Looking over at Van Helsing, he arched an eyebrow, "He's right, are there any signs of change in her?"

            Helsing lifted a hand to her cheek and shook his head, "She's pretty warm but I've never seen someone change into a Vampire… is that normal?"

            "Normal for them to be warm? Not as far as I know. Tasya could probably tell us but it appears as if she's truly exhausted and drained from loss of blood. I can't be sure of how long we'll have to stay here until she's strong enough to travel." The priest shrugged and pulled out the jar of ointment again. "As soon as she wakes up, we'd best put more of this on. Now, she also said she had a wound on her back?"

            Shifting his weight under her, Van Helsing hoped his movement wouldn't disturb her. He was wrong and Tasya's eyes flew open and she tensed as if she was ready to attack someone. Groaning, he glared at Torgny; blaming the other man for making him talk.

            "What happened?" She muttered, trying to sit up. "Torgny, why are you holding that horrid ointment I created in your hand? You weren't planning to use it on me were you?"

            He grinned sheepishly, "One can never be to safe Tasya. A Vampire bit you after all and none of us are sure of what happened to you then. Now, where is this other wound of yours? The one you got during your fight with a werewolf?"

            "You know I fought with a werewolf? How did you know that?" Her eyes went wide with surprise.

            "We found its remains where you left them. Torgny recognized the crossbow bolt that was still embedded in its' chest. Do you normally leave the evidence lying around like that or were you just getting slack because you were so intent to ride to your death?" Van Helsing asked curiously.

            Tasya growled, signaling to Torgny to help her stand up. "Are you always this annoying Van Helsing?"

            "Would have thought you could tell me the answer to that question rather than the other way around."

            Helping her stand, Torgny steadied her before he went to check if the water he had put on to heat was ready. "Children, can we please leave the fighting for when Tasya is recovered. Carl, would you help me clean up her shoulder?"

            Unlacing the corset she wore in a similar fashion to how Anna Valerious had, Tasya smiled, remembering when she had started to dress like that. She had been a close friend of Anna's and had told the woman about her past. Anna had known that she was Hanne Valerious though she had never been told about Gabriel Van Helsing beyond the fact that Tasya knew him. Before she'd met Anna, Tasya had tended towards dressing like a man and keeping her hair cut short but her very distant relative had shown her that a woman could flaunt her gender and get away with it. That was when Tasya had taken to wearing long sleeved silk shirts with a leather corset laced over the top as well as long pants like gypsy men wore. She wore knee-high leather boots though she could never understand why Anna had liked hers to have heels. At most, Tasya's boots had heels like riding boots did.

            When Carl realized what she was doing, he blushed and averted his eyes, making sure that he turned his back to her. "Does she always do things like that?"

            "Like what?" Torgny queried, turning back to Tasya to take the corset she held out to him. "I don't know what you're talking about Carl."

            Peeling back the shirt, Tasya bit back a moan when she realized that the slash had started to bleed again, sticking the silk to her skin. "Torgny, bring some of that water here and help me get this shirt away from the wound. It started bleeding again."

            Van Helsing watched at Torgny dripped water onto the back of the shirt, slowing pulling the silk away from the wound. When it was fully away, Tasya pulled it up and allowed the man to clean the wound, washing it out with the warm water. Standing, he walked over to see how serious it was, ignoring the fact that Carl was standing with his back to the woman, saying prayers.

            "That's a nasty wound you have there Tasya. How did you get it exactly?" He asked gently, not wanting to offend her.

            "I suppose you are thinking that it's lucky that the werewolf only caught me with his claws rather then with his teeth? There was only one antidote to treat the werewolf venom and my dear friend Anna used it on you." Tasya snapped, trying to divert the pain she felt into anger or any other kind of emotion.

            Gabriel knew what she was trying to do and nodded to Torgny, "You were obviously not paying enough attention to your job if you allowed a werewolf to hurt you."

            "And I suppose you wouldn't have let that happen? Eh? You who managed to get bitten by Velkan?"

            "He caught me unawares. I wasn't expecting him to bite me nor was I familiar with the area or the way that things like him behaved." Van Helsing growled.

            She grit her teeth as Torgny smeared some antiseptic ointment on her shoulder, "At least I fought with honor and no thought to my life. I try not to get other people involved because I have respect for the lives of innocents."

            "And I don't have such respect? How can you of all people say that Tasya? You who claims to know me so well would accuse me of having no respect for the lives of innocent people?"

            Bandaging her shoulder carefully, Torgny grinned. "The two of you would make a good couple. You're both as ignorant and proud as the other."

            "I would rather be proud and ignorant than like Van Helsing. I have honor and can be trusted. He does not know how to keep his word." Tasya held her head high, relaxing a little now that her friend had finished cleaning the slash on her shoulder.

            Her words caught a sensitive spot in Van Helsing's heart and he hissed at her. "How can a bounty hunter have pride? You killed people for a living; you killed them because someone else wanted them dead. It did not matter if they were evildoers or not, you killed them. I at least hunt down and destroy evil things and have always tried to protect the innocent."

            By the sad look in her eyes when she turned her head to look at him, both Torgny and Gabriel knew that his words had been harsher than he had intended. There were tears in the corners of her eyes and Tasya shook her head at them. "I have always done what I have thought necessary to survive. Never have I thought to stop and settle down because I wanted only to find you Gabriel. Now that I have found you, I want nothing more than to be away from you because you have always brought pain with you… more pain than I ever did."

            She pulled the shirt down again and bent over to pick up her corset. Carl glanced around, wondering if they had finished and Tasya was decent again. When he saw that she was still lacing the corset back up, he crossed himself and muttered that Van Helsing should have more respect for women.

            "What pain does my presence bring you Tasya Van Lura?" He asked quietly.

            "Why did you follow me into the mountains? Surely you have something else you should be doing Van Helsing? Like saving the world from some new evil threat." She snapped angrily, spinning around to face him.

            "I was going to the Valerious family home to find out what I could about you. Torgny met us riding here as he was returning to Rome. Carl and I did not follow you into the Carpathians; rather, you were going in the same direction as us. Lucky that you were because you would be dead by now if we had not been." Gabriel didn't blink as his eyes met hers.

            Bowing her head, Tasya resolved herself to be parted from him quickly. "Well you have my thanks but I must be going now. I have stayed here for too long and Vladimir could be doing what I fear most by now."

            Torgny cringed, "Tasya, you aren't well enough to go riding off on your own. Stay with us and let Van Helsing help you kill Vladimir."

            "I would rather he didn't because I know what happened when he killed Dracula. Anna was my friend and my family."

            Carl realized what she meant, "You mean that Anna was not the last Valerious?"

            "No, she was not."

            "Then who is?"

            "It is my job to make sure that the evil of Dracula and Vladimir never spreads… never takes over the world. The man I loved showed me that fact when he told me that there would always be a curse on my family to prevent evil. That is my mission, my life. That and preserving the Valerious blood and honor for our family has always had a reason for being. When Vladimir is dead once and for all, I can rest in peace knowing that my job is done." She turned away and started to pack her things, ignoring how weak she felt.

            "I'm not going to let you ride off to your self proclaimed doom Tasya." Van Helsing growled, grabbing her wrist.

            Her hand came into contact with his cheek and both Carl and Torgny cringed. "You do not have any power over me Van Helsing. You cannot stop me from doing what I believe to be right. Stay out of my fight and stay out of my life!"

            He stepped back and watched her prepare her horse. Glancing between the two, Torgny wondered if he should perhaps go with Tasya to make sure that she would be all right. Shrugging, he followed her example and packed his gear.

            "What are you doing Torgny?"

            "Coming with you Tasya."

            "No you're not." She snapped at him. "You're staying right here where you will be safe from harm."

            Torgny shook his head. "Now that Carl and Van Helsing know, they can carry your message back to the Knights of the Holy Order. I'm not going to let you face Vladimir alone."

            She swung herself into the saddle and shrugged, "Hurry up then Torgny." Her eyes flickered towards Carl and Van Helsing. "My thanks again for helping me but I hope that you will be wise enough not to follow me any further. This is my fight Van Helsing and only I can kill Vladimir."

            "Walk with God then Tasya Van Lura." Carl nodded, accepting quite happily, her orders not to follow.

            However, Van Helsing made up his mind that they would follow at a distance that would assure him that she would not notice his doing so. Watching the pair kick their horses into a gallop, he picked up his hat and placed it on his head.

            "We'd better hurry Carl. Wouldn't want her to get to far ahead of us."


	6. Chapter Six: The race

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but what I created.

Chapter Six: The race.

"Tasya!" Torgny pointed up at the darkening sky.

Her blue eyes followed the direction he was pointing in and she cursed. Above them the silver moon rose – full. Already Tasya was sure that she could hear the howls of werewolves racing towards them though she was sure that would not be the case. If Vladimir believed her dead, he would not think to send his beasts after her… unless he knew that she was still alive.

"Run Torgny. Run now!" She snapped, kicking her horse into a gallop.

They had parted from Van Helsing and Carl two days ago and they did not have much further to go before they reached the town where Tasya had grown up, where generations of Valerious' children had grown up and where they had died, fighting the evil of Dracula. If the two of them could at least reach the town, there was a slight chance of safety – though very slim for Tasya did not doubt that Vladimir would attack the town if it so served his purpose.

Chasing after them came the sounds that they had both feared. Glancing back, Torgny could see a werewolf charging towards them, its speed rivaling the speed of the horses. Shouting, he swerved his horse as several crossbow bolts flew past him, their silver tips glinting in the moonlight. The werewolf howled in pain as two of the five bolts thudded into its chest. But, as she was firing wild and not actually tacking aim, Tasya missed her mark though not by much. The first bolt to hit, imbedded itself in the shoulder of the werewolf while the second bolt to hit, stuck in behind the shoulder, causing the beast to have to slow down.

"Just keep that horse running Torgny! Get to the town and warn them. Do whatever you have to do but get them armed. Vladimir is going to attack tonight, I am sure of it!" She shouted to her friend.

He watched her tie the reins to the front of the saddle, making sure that the horse would continue to gallop forward. Tasya then swung herself around so that she ended up sitting backwards, facing the oncoming werewolf. Her voice whipped past him again, urging him to run. Even as he heard it, Tasya fired at the werewolf, this time the bolt found its heart, the silver killing it.

"Tasya watch out!" Torgny shouted.

She flung her weight to one side and obeying the carefully trained signals, the horse followed the guiding of her body movements. Firing thrice, Tasya killed the second werewolf even as its muscles bunched up to support its leap towards her. Hearing the howls of normal wolves racing towards her, she swore in Romanian.

"Don't you just love this place?" She asked herself out loud, twisting in the saddle in order to face the right way again.

The pack of wolves burst into sight not far behind them and the horses let out whinnies of fear. Digging her heels in, Tasya encouraged her horse to give another burst of speed. She caught up with Torgny and tossed him her crossbow.

"You must fight now as well. Kill as many wolves as you can manage before they kill us."

He grinned, "A pack of wolves is worth two werewolves."

The first wolf leapt and Tasya shot it down with a bullet before it could catch hold of one of the horse's hind legs in it's powerful teeth. Using the crossbow, Torgny took down the next that made an attempt to bring down their horses. Unlike Tasya, the priest was not easy diverting his attention from guiding the horse to turning around enough to fire at the wolves. While she shot down the wolves with ease and detachment, Torgny muttered the words 'I'm sorry' every time he fired a bolt from the crossbow in his hands.

The wolves may have been possessed by Vladimir's mind and were considered to be but animals, Torgny felt guilt at having to kill them. However, Tasya did not for she knew that they would not spare them if she or Torgny slipped up even once. As they drew closer to the town, her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of screams and shouting. Letting one hand slip down to check her sword, Tasya kept shooting at any wolf that dared to leave the pack following them and make an attempt to bring down a nice, tasty horse.

"Not now, not today." Tasya murmured, slipping her guns back into her belt and drawing her sword.

With the sword held out to her side, she pushed herself down in the saddle to give her horse a chance at more speed. Torgny shook his head, copying her position as best he could. When they burst through into the town, they were confronted with slaughter. Vladimir had been taking his wrath out on the townsfolk since nightfall and Tasya and Torgny had managed to ride right into the middle of it. Behind them, the wolves split up to wreak havoc on the villagers seeing as how they would make for easier victims.

The great winged beast that was Vladimir saw them below in the town center and dove towards them, angry that Tasya had defied his will and had lived through his various attacks. She would not survive this time if he had it his way. She would pay for what happened to his friend and through her death; Gabriel Van Helsing would pay for what he did.

Landing on the roof of a building close by, Vladimir looked down upon Tasya and laughed. She was wounded and still weak from his last attack on her. The priest Torgny was not strong enough to pose a threat to him and would not stand in Vladimir's way. Changing into his normal form, the Vampire leapt down off the building and landed softly behind the mounted woman.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A traitor and a whore." He spat slowly, delighting in the look on her face as she held the sword before her.

Memories flooded Tasya's mind as she stared at Vladimir. She remembered the attempt she had made before the first death of her cousin to convince Vladimir to help stop the spread of his evil.

"_Please Vladimir, you know that nothing good can come out of what he is doing! You must help us stop him, you must aid us against his evil and what will happen if he succeeds in his plans." She pleaded with the tall, dark haired man before her._

_ Vladimir growled, "He is my brother in arms, my closest friend. I will not betray him like you have Hanne; I will not let this Gabriel Van Helsing play with my life as he plays with yours. Unlike you whore, I understand loyalty and comradeship. I will not betray him!"_

_ "And what will happen if he does succeed? If his evil spreads to cover the whole of the known world?"_

"I will stand by his side and bring death to all those who dare to stand in his way. Do not try to turn me again Hanne for you will not win my heart away."

"Vladimir, you made a very big mistake all those years ago when you turned my plea away and refused to listen to reason. You should have helped us." Tasya hissed leaping down from her horse and holding the sword adjacent to her body.

He grinned, baring his fangs at her. "I should have told him then that you were going to betray him. If I had, then none of this would have ever happened and he would still be here!"

"I had nothing to do with his final demise Vladimir! You have Van Helsing and Anna Valerious to blame for that. I was far from Transylvania when Dracula was destroyed finally." Tasya snapped angrily.

"But you were a main cause in his original downfall. You helped Van Helsing kill him the first time even if you were not around to help a second. Life you do not deserve and hell awaits for those like you who betray their own family."

"He stopped being my family, stopped being my cousin, from the moment when he made a pact with the Devil. The Valerious family does not make stock with those who make trade with the Lord of all Darkness and evil." Her blue eyes flashed with fury and her grip tightened on the hilt of her sword.

Torgny caught the look in her eye and managed to catch hold of her horses' reins and led it away from the opposing forces. Vladimir was evil, pure evil and his darkness was like a cloud that threatened to overtake and dim the pure light and goodness that encased Tasya's soul. She was love and he was hate, she was the truth of God and he was the lies of the Devil, she was a pure soul and he was a tainted one. They were exact opposites, condemned to fight in an endless battle between good and evil. Their battle would not be the end of the war, nor was it the beginning but it was a part of the whole and could perhaps, tilt the tide either way depending upon who won.

They circled each other, eyes locked in a battle of wills. Neither would look away for to do so, would to concede dominance to the other – something that they both desired for themselves but refused to give to the other. Across the town, everything knew that a fight was close to beginning and the people slowly made their way towards the center… even the wolves knew it was nigh.

"When I have finished with you Hanne Valerious, I shall tear your hound limb from limb and feed him to my pets. No doubt he will make them a tasty meal though I shall reserve the right to your blood for myself. And then, when I have finished with the two of you, I shall feed off the villagers who have always meant so much to the Valerious family." The Vampire hissed, grinning.

Tasya grit her teeth, keeping her eyes locked on the form before her. She knew that he was trying to get her to look towards Torgny, to make sure that he was all right but she refused to give in to his desire. "You always were a man for making empty threats Vladimir and I have always laughed at your stupidity."

"Empty threats? I make empty threats? You are a fool Tasya and I will enjoy breaking you because I know that your beloved Van Helsing will feel your pain. Where is your lover? The one who destroyed Dracula? Are you keeping him away from here for fear that he will witness your defeat and your death?"

"He is no longer my beloved Van Helsing Vladimir, and you know it! We walk separate paths now, paths that have only met the once since we took leave of each other." She snarled.

Vladimir laughed, throwing his head back in mirth. "Then you are weaker than you think. With Gabriel Van Helsing by your side Hanne, you may have stood a chance at defeating me but alone you have no such option and therefore, will die by my hand."

She felt the stinging impact of his words and tried to shrug the effect off. His words were intended to do harm and she must not let them. Raising her sword up, Tasya circled around him again, keeping her eyes locked on him so that she would not miss any movements he made.

"Then again Hanne, I might just keep you alive a little longer and have fun with you. I believe your blood is the key to my redemption. With your blood I can bring Dracula back and when he has returned, he can do with you what he sees fit." He bared his teeth again.

Out of the shadows a crossbow bolt flew and thudded into the flesh of Vladimir's shoulder. "Over my dead body will you resurrect Dracula!"

"Gabriel!" She whispered, losing her concentration for a moment.

It was in that moment that Vladimir attacked her. Flinging up her sword, Tasya only just managed to block his slashing teeth from reaching her neck but she was forced back. Turning to attack her again, the Vampire came face to face with Van Helsing and hissed.

"Murderer."

Van Helsing smiled sadly, "Tell me something that I don't know Vampire. At least I do not have the blood of innocents on my hands. You would kill harmless people because of something that happened hundreds of years ago."

"You are the one who helped _her_ destroy my friend and brother. You are the one who destroyed him the second time. But I, I will bring him back and together will we destroy you and the whore who betrayed him to his downfall."

Flinging out his arms, Vladimir changed into his winged form and flung himself towards Tasya. Grabbing her up, he took to the sky. Firing bolts at the Vampire, Van Helsing tried to get him to drop the woman. Drawing a knife out of her belt, Tasya managed to stab his shoulder, causing his grip to loosen slightly. Stabbing him again, she was able to get him to drop her completely and towards the ground she fell. Vladimir screamed angrily as Helsing rushed to catch her before she hit the ground. Sweeping down, he plucked the unsuspecting Torgny from the back of his horse and swung around to fly back towards Castle Dracula.

"You're coming with me pretty little priest. I do not doubt that sweet Hanne and her knight in shinning armor will come looking for you soon." He hissed, tightening his grip on the stunned man.

"TASYA!" Torgny managed to scream out.

She pushed herself out of Van Helsing's arms and ran through the town, "Torgny! No, not him Vladimir! Leave him out of it!"

Chasing after her, Gabriel grabbed her around the waist and pulled Tasya back against him. "Don't throw your life away Tasya, that's what he wants you to do. So long as you are not in his grasp, Vladimir will keep Torgny alive."

"I cannot just sit here and let him take Torgny away! He will kill him, he said he would and Vladimir was always a man of his word, if any thing else. Torgny has been by my side for years and I will not let him down, not now when he has been taken because of me." Tasya struggled to get out of Van Helsing's grip.

Turning her around in his arms, Van Helsing kissed her passionately. "I remember this Hanne and I will not forget it a second time. You must act with wisdom now, not rashly. Formulate a plan, find out how to kill Vladimir and then go after him. So long as you are out of his reach, Vladimir will not harm Torgny. He wants you to go after the priest and so keeps him as bait."

Her eyes locked on his and Tasya licked her lips, "Why did you come after me Gabriel? I asked you not to. This is not your fight."

"Not my fight? It is my fight Tasya and you know it! So long as there is evil in the world, I will fight it and so long as you have an enemy to destroy, I will help you. What other reason could there be for the way we are joined? For the way you have lived all these years?" He cupped her face and smiled. "We are meant to be together in this world Hanne, there is no other reason why things are the way they are. If there was, we would not be linked as we are."

Carl stumbled towards them, scratching his head thoughtfully. "I say Van Helsing, what are we going to do about this mess? Those towns people aren't happy to see us again I don't think."

"Are you going to let me help you Tasya or will I have to drag you away from Transylvania kicking and screaming back to Rome?"

Closing her eyes, Tasya fainted in his arms, the exhaustion she suffered from her long ride and the injuries she had sustained finally getting the better of her.


	7. Chapter Seven: Forgotten

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA… not to mention the wireless network I've been spending the week setting up in my home so that I can access the internet from anywhere in the house as well as the printer, etc. Don't you just love WiFi technology especially when you have to change the wireless network card in your laptop and PDA from a B standard to a G standard and spend another three hundred or so buying the two cards in order to do that?

Chapter Seven: Forgotten.

            Van Helsing carried her through into a familiar room of the Valerious manor home. It was Anna's old room and a room where he thought Tasya would feel comfortable to wake up. She mumbled, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. Smiling, Gabriel wondered what was going on in her mind and if it involved him.

            "Tasya, wake up sweetie. There's time enough later for you to sleep but first, we have to rescue your deal pet priest." He laid her down on the bed and shook her gently. "Come on Tasya."

            She mumbled something again and her eyelids flickered for a moment before fluttering open. Her mind must have been clouded because she smiled and pulled his face down to hers to plant a loving kiss on his lips. "Gabriel my love."

            He didn't pull back from her, "Tasya?"

            "I knew you'd come back. Is he dead? Is he gone?" Her lips brushed against his ear softly. "Do I have to fear him any more?"

            "Tasya, are you alright? This isn't you…."

            There was hurt in her eyes when she pulled back from him, "Who is this Tasya you keep calling me Gabriel? I am Hanne Valerious, do you not recall? What has he done to your memory? What has he done to your mind if you do not remember me!"

            '_This is not good._' Van Helsing thought, placing his hands on her shoulder and shaking her. "Snap out of this Tasya Van Lura! I need you here with me, not your other half Hanne Valerious. Torgny has been taken by Vladimir, don't you remember?"

            "Vladimir? What has he done and who is Torgny? And please, stop calling me Tasya! It is not my name." The woman snapped, standing up.

            "Yes it is. It is your name _now_. I don't know why you have come out of your faint believing you are who you were once but we must find a way to get you back to normal." He frowned at her thoughtfully, wondering if she may have hit her head at some point.

            Tasya spun around and looked about the room, "This is not my room… where are we Gabriel? I do not know this place."

            Shaking his head, Van Helsing pulled one of his guns out and hit Tasya over the back of her head with the butt, "I'm so very sorry about having to do that Tasya but I can't have you running about stuck in the notion that your Hanne Valerious again. Or forgetting everything that has happened."

            She'd collapsed to the ground and he picked her up, carrying her limp form back over to the bed. Putting her down, Gabriel smiled faintly and flicked a lock of her dark hair out of her face. Even in this unnatural slumber, she looked peaceful and innocent. Rather the pity that she had committed as many, if not more, heinous crimes as he had… and all in the name of God. The stupidity of the human race puzzled Van Helsing sometimes, it was all rather over the top. How could anything come up with the idea of starting wars that would kill people in great numbers in the name of God? Or kill countless innocents because of a feud in Gods name? What drove people to do such irresponsible, thoughtless things and say that they did it all in the name of God?

            "Well I'm one of them!" He snorted, "One of those stupid, stubborn, idiotic humans who does such things. How many people have I killed? How many people have I caused the deaths of? Is it fair that I can say that I did it because what I killed was evil? At least Tasya sees what she does clearly. She knows that she does it for survival."

            Survival. Was life really worth all the pain and anguish that it came with? Even as he lived each day, Gabriel Van Helsing was starting to remember Tasya as she once was. He could remember the sound of her laughter as he picked her up and spun her around in his arms. Or the gentle touch of her lips to his when she found him crying one night over the death of one of the towns' people. She had been his rock, his pillar of love, and the source of light in his life. God had been graced with the idea to give him one consolidation in the long and dark life that he was to lead… but why had he forgotten it all? Was it some kind of curse so that he would not be complete and therefore weaker? With Tasya by his side, he should be invincible or would they be able to turn away and live the life of peace that they both longed for? Would she welcome him back now, after so many years apart? Would she forgive him for leaving her and for forgetting her?

            He hoped with all his heart that she would forgive him and welcome him back into her life. Van Helsing did not think that he would be able to continue on with out her now that he knew she existed. Hanne Valerious… Tasya Van Lura… what ever she chose to call herself; she was his past and she was his future. She was the only family he probably had.

            _Slipping down out of the saddle, his dark eyes swept over the gathered crowd of people and with a sigh of frustration, he called out. "Where is the person in charge of this place?"_

_            A woman stepped out from behind him, her dark hair pulled back in a long braid. She was dressed like a man in brown breeches and tunic shirt colored in such a fashion that it reminded him of leaves in fall just before they fell from the trees. Curious blue eyes met his and a smile curled the corners of her red lips. "I am the person in charge Mr Van Helsing. My uncle sent a letter from Rome telling me to expect you."_

_            "You are the one in charge? A Valerious woman." Van Helsing asked her._

_            With a slight chuckle, she walked towards him and Van Helsing noticed the sword belted to her side, "Van Helsing, your tone implies that you do not think much of women being in charge. I assure you, if my two brothers were not children, they would be in charge despite my being older."_

_            He inclined his head, "You know my name young woman thanks to your uncles letter and may I be so fortunate as to be allowed to enquire after yours?"_

_            "My name is Hanne Valerious and I am sure that you know that means that I am a Gypsy Princess." Her blue eyes flashed with sorrow as if her statement displeased her. Turning to the fearful people, she swept her arms out, "My people, this is Gabriel Van Helsing, a man of God who has been sent to help rid us of my evilly misguided cousin. Make him welcome."_

_            And with her announcement, Hanne inclined her head to Van Helsing before starting to walk off in the direction of a large castle like home in the distance. Following her quickly, he pulled his weary horse along after him._

_            "Wait, you're not just going to leave me to sort out myself are you Miss Valerious?"_

_            Her eyebrows arched, "Why of course that was what I was going to do. You don't need me to hold your hand and walk you through the activities of getting a room at the tavern or finding a stable to keep your horse in. One would hope that you're a grown man Mr Van Helsing and that you can do these things on your own."_

_            "I though that I was meant to be staying at the Valerious manor where I have complete access to any information I might need which will help me destroy this evil?" He muttered, following her still._

_            Coming to a stop, Hanne turned her head to stare at him with her vivid blue eyes. She said nothing and not even her eyelashes flickered. If Van Helsing had not known better, he would have sworn that she was a statue – she was so still. It was really rather disconcerting to be standing there with such an icy and intelligent gaze resting on him. He was itching to say something but he dare not incase she snapped at him._

_            "I suppose it could be possible to arrange some where for you to stay in the manor. Very well, follow me and I shall see what I can do though you must obey any rules I put down. First of those being that you go nowhere near my brothers as I do not want them becoming involved in this silly war against my cousin… they are by far to young and innocent of the ways of the world to understand what exactly is going on." Hanne turned her eyes away from him and he sighed inwardly at being freed from her gaze._

_            Van Helsing smiled suddenly at a thought, "You're the one he wants aren't you Miss Valerious? Your uncle mentioned that there was someone important who could not be lost to his son. I can understand why he would want you."_

_            In the next moment she had drawn her sword and had the tip pressed against his throat, "I do not like to have strangers speak to me like that. It is not your place to say such things or to know such things."_

_            Her accent was strong and Gabriel liked the beautiful sound of it. "I take it back. It is blatantly obvious why your cousin would want you. You're a strong and intelligent woman who knows how to behave and how to handle herself."_

_            She hissed at him, her eyes blazing with fury as she spun around on her heels, sliding the sword back into the scabbard. Stalking down the street towards the manor, Hanne muttered Romanian curses under her breath and ignored the man following her with a grin on his face._

_            "You will regret saying that to me Mr Van Helsing. I can assure you of that." Hanne spat angrily as she called for a servant to come and help him. "You will regret it."_

_            "I'll take any punishment you deal me in my stride Miss Valerious. I'm a strong man and I know what I want." He replied, bowing to her. "Don't worry, I'll deal with your troublesome cousin soon enough and get out of your hair."_

_            "One had better hope so."_

_            He laughed, shaking his head as he watched her storm off into the house. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."_

Opening his eyes, Van Helsing looked over at the still form of Tasya and smiled. "You're still a beautiful and proud woman Hanne. It is a pity I'm still working on remembering everything about you that I once knew. When did your opinion towards me change from distain to love?"

            Standing up, he exited the room quietly so that he could go and find Carl. Anything that that friar might have dug up about Vladimir would be useful information because Van Helsing had a suspicion that he would have to find a willing werewolf to help defeat the Vampire. But then, if Tasya had been convinced that she would be able to destroy him on her own, there might be some other way to send the bastard to hell for the last time.

            When he entered the library, Carl looked up with a startled glint in his eyes. "Ah Van Helsing, there you are! I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me or if you perhaps were planning to leave me here to rot amongst these old books and documents."

            "Sometimes Carl, I wonder what happened to your sense of humor."

            "I have a sense of humor?" The friar looked surprised. "Didn't know that."

            "That's my point Carl, you don't have one and sometimes it sounds like your trying to make a joke without understanding what you are doing." He grinned, looking at the picture that showed how to defeat Dracula.

            Mumbling, Carl looked back down at the book in his hands, "Can't find anything useful yet. Don't know if Vladimir will be as easy to destroy as Dracula was but you never know."

            "I just hope his defeat won't involve me turning into a werewolf again."

            "Yes well, Tasya might know how to make the cure for that little problem. You'll have to ask her when she regains consciousness."

            Looking sheepish, Van Helsing shrugged. "She did gain consciousness for a while but it was as if she had forgotten everything after I left to kill Dracula the first time. In her mind, she was still Hanne Valerious and we were still betrothed."

            Carl looked at him over the edge of the book as he snapped it shut, "Oh dear me. What did you do about that little problem?"

            "I hit her over the head with my gun to knock her unconscious again. We don't need her forgetting everything or ending up like that again because God knows, what she has locked away in that brilliant mind of hers could change our chances of wining this fight."

            "She won't be happy about that when she wakes up, Van Helsing. I'd watch your back just in case she tries to extract revenge in the form of your blood." Grinning, the friar opened another book.

            Noticing a book on the top of the pile, Gabriel picked it up and dusted off the cover. It had 'The Valerious Family' inlaid on the front in gold leaf and curious; he opened it to see what was in side. To his astonishment, it was a detailed family tree listing every Valerious and their descendants to date. Within a few pages, he discovered the name 'Hanne Nika Valerious' and a line was drawn from her name to another name.

            His name.

            Letting go of his breath, Van Helsing wasn't aware that he had been holding it. Looking over at him, Carl frowned at something on the page. Laying a fingertip slightly down from Hanne and Gabriel's names, he arched an eyebrow.

            "Did the two of you actually get married?"

            Letting his eyes drift down the page to where Carl's finger was, Van Helsing was surprised to see the name 'Bellona Valerious Van Helsing' but judging from the dates, the child had only lived for a year and a half before death. After that name, there were no more on the page dedicated to Hanne Nika Valerious and her descendants because there were no descendants.

            "I had a child…." He murmured.

            Carl shook his head, "You'd have thought that she would have told you that Van Helsing. Something as big as that is not something she would keep a secret from you… is it?"

            "No, it is something that I would expect her to keep from me no matter what. She wouldn't want to force me to stay by her side because of something like that. But you're right; she should have told me that we had a child. A little girl who did not even get to see two years." He wondered what had killed the baby girl at such a young age.

            "Perhaps you should have a good talk with Tasya when she wakes up? What else could there be that she should tell you…." The friar left it at that and returned to his research.

            Van Helsing closed the book with a snap, "I don't want her to know that we know. Let Tasya tell me in her own time because a woman never forgets her children and to bring this topic up is bound to cause her emotional hurt."


	8. Chapter Eight: Secrets revealed

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA. Gosh, I do like this new disclaimer… hehehe.

Chapter Eight: Secrets revealed.

"My head…." Tasya sat up, holding a hand to the back of her head.

She could feel a slight bump there and the skin around it was slightly tender. Unable to recall what had happened to cause the headache, Tasya attempted to stand up without remembering that she had not eaten for days and that her body was still weak from loss of blood. All she could think of was the fact that Vladimir had taken Torgny and probably intended to kill him very soon. The other thing that was prominent in her mind was recollection of Gabriel's gentle kiss when he was trying to stop her from running off to rescue Torgny.

Growling in frustration, Tasya managed to get to her feet and swayed in an unstable fashion. Looking around, she grinned thoughtfully at the sight of Anna's bedroom. "Van Helsing, you are still the same even after all these years. Pity you had to go and forget everything on me."

Walking unsteadily over to a mirror, she carefully unlaced her corset and gently removed her silk shirt so that she could get a clear look at the wound on her shoulder. Craning her neck to look at her back in the mirror, Tasya was not very happy to see that the wound she had received from a werewolf slash had bleed again and was looking quite red around the edges. Wishing she had clean, heated water to clean it up, the woman walked to the door of the room and pulled it open – forgetting in the process that she was not wearing a shirt any more.

"CARL!" She yelled out. "CARL!"

If her intuition were correct, the friar would be in the library, which was just down the hall from the room she was in. He would hear her shout and no doubt come running.

She was right.

Carl burst out of the library looking somewhat frightened, "Van Lura? What's the matter? Has the Vampire attacked us again?"

"Friar, I'm over here." Her voice snapped at him, causing Carl to turn around and stare at her in mortification. "Carl, forget what you're seeing right now. More importantly, can you go and get me a bowl of hot water so that I can clean the wound on the back of my shoulder?"

He opened his mouth repeatedly, no sound coming out though his eyes were wide. Finally he managed to get one word out. "W…wat… water…."

"Carl, don't talk about it, just do what I told you to do. Now if at all possible."

Nodding, the friar ran away before he made himself into an even bigger fool in front of Tasya. When he reached a corridor, he stood there scratching his head in confusion, not having any clear idea of where he was meant to go to get a bowl of hot water. Luckily, Van Helsing came towards him in the next moment with a bottle of whisky in his hand.

"Ah ha!" Carl snatched the bottle out of the killer's hand and spun around to rush back the way he came.

"Hey! Where do you think your going with my whisky Carl?" Van Helsing chased after the confused friar.

"You tell me where to find a bowl of hot water and I'll think about giving you back this whisky… though the whisky happens to be better for cleaning wounds than water if I remember correctly." He stopped suddenly and looked around. "Now, did I come this way or was it that other corridor?"

Arching an eyebrow, Gabriel grinned. "Carl, what's gotten you into such a fumbled up mood? You're more confusing than ever. One would have to think that you've seen something surprising that has addled your brilliant brain."

Wondering if he should tell Van Helsing about Tasya's little excursion out of her room without her upper body covered, Carl scratched his head again. "You would have to be right about that Van Helsing. I've just seen something that I'm sure you'd be envious about."

"I suppose then that you're going to tell me so that you can gloat while I'm envious about it? Or are you going to let me stand here and make guesses as to what it was?" He asked.

"You can guess."

"Well, you're a friar and your looking for water to clean a wound. I'm sure that just earlier I heard Tasya's charming voice ring out calling for you. How close would I be if I asked if you'd seen some part of her anatomy that you are ashamed to have seen?" Dark eyes glittered mischievously as he spoke and Van Helsing watched Carl's face for signs that he had guessed correctly.

Carl's face collapsed into a despairing expression and he wiped a hand over his forehead, "I'm sorry Van Helsing, it's not like I purposely intended to see Tasya without a shirt covering her… her… her um… female accessories."

Van Helsing burst out into laughter and had to lean back against a wall in order to support himself. Clapping a hand against his thigh, he shook his head. "Forgive me for laughing at your plight Carl but your expression and way of describing what you saw was hilarious."

"Van Helsing!" He exclaimed in shock. "You could at least have some sympathy."

"We had best get you to a priest because we can't have you walking around with such a sin darkening your soul. Need to have our sins abolished as frequently as we can manage or who knows, we'll probably go to hell."

Growling in frustration, Carl managed to get himself back on track and headed back down the right corridor to where Tasya was waiting for him. After having seen the friar's distress when he saw her before, she had put a loose silk shirt on though she hadn't really laced the front up. When she looked up to see Carl coming towards her with a bottle of whisky and Van Helsing at his heels, Tasya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.

He lifted his eyes to her and smiled, another memory flooding his mind.

_"Van Helsing, what do you think you're doing in here?" Hanne stormed into the armory and stopped short at the sight of the man standing there going through the weapons. "You should not be in here Van Helsing."_

_ "Really? Well, where else should I be? I'm simply looking at all the lovely swords you seem to have collected… among other things." He grinned at her, his eyes trailing down her body._

_ She was wearing dark green breeches and a white silk shirt – which was soaked through. Her long hair was a mass of dripping black strands and her blue eyes were blazing with unbridled fury. "Don't you dare start with that conversation again!"_

_ "I take it that your horse decided that a little dip would be a good idea? Really, I have to find out where you keep taking these impromptu baths that you've been having."_

_ The next thing he knew, a knife was imbedded in the wall barely an inch from his throat. Closing his mouth, Van Helsing wondered where the knife had come from because Hanne carried no weapons on her that he could see. In her hand, another identical knife was held and the look of annoyance was puzzling._

_ "Your aim is good Miss Valerious." Van Helsing inclined his head, realizing that there was a spider impaled on the wall._

_ Her nostrils flared and Hanne growled, "What do you mean my aim is good? I missed my target by an inch or so."_

_ Assuming that it would be better to say nothing at all about the knife, the monster hunter shook his head and turned back to the sword he had been studying. "I take it that you have a lot of problems with werewolves?"_

_ "Why would you ask that Van Helsing?" Her voice was melodious though her accent caused what she said to sound like 'Vhy vould you ask that Van Helsing'. _

_ "Because the larger majority of swords and other weapons in here are forged from a mix of silver and steel. Werewolves don't like silver but it's not the best substance to make a sword out of, which means that by combining the two, you have a perfect weapon for killing them with." He lifted the sword and smiled at how well balanced it was._

_ Hanne arched an eyebrow, "Be careful, that blade is sharp and I wouldn't want to have to look after you. Please, don't hurt yourself. It would be the greatest inconvenience to me if you did."_

_ Smiling at her again, Gabriel Van Helsing wondered why she was as attractive to him as she seemed to be. "No, we wouldn't want to inconvenience you now, would we Miss Valerious. Any inconvenience to you and I wouldn't ever hear the end of it for at least five hundred years."_

_ "Try eternity. If you cost me this kill, I will kill you and when I die, I will haunt you." She snapped._

_ "And I thought you Transylvanians liked to look on the bright side of death. Haunting me for eternity doesn't sound very bright to me." He replied, unfazed._

_ Another knife thudded into the wall beside him, "Trust me, haunting you would be torture but if we do not kill my cousin, haunting you will be the better choice out of the two evils."_

"Strange how your better choice out of the two evils turned out to be this way Miss Valerious." Van Helsing grinned at her brightly, hoping she knew what he was talking about.

Tasya frowned for a moment before snatching the bottle of whisky from Carl, "I suppose this will do to clean my shoulder up but I still want some hot water. As for your comment Van Helsing, this turned out to be the better of the three evils."

"Three evils now?"

"Perhaps… but there were many more choices I could have made. Funny that, if you had not murdered my cousin like you did and if he had not become a Vampire, I would not be alive still and perhaps, neither would you. But then again, if I had not been so incredibly stubborn or so in love with you, I would have become a Bride of Dracula and you would have killed me." Her blue eyes filled with tears. "And perhaps my brothers would have grown up and perhaps the Valerious family would still exist."

Carl bit his lip and backed away, murmuring. "I think I might just leave the two of you to talk… got some books that I need to read…. Just, don't kill each other just yet."

Neither noticed him leave but Tasya stepped back into the room and managed to slam the door shut in Van Helsing's face. He pounded his fists on the door, demanding that she let him in so that they could talk.

While he did that, Tasya pulled the shirt off and stood in front of the mirror again. She had found a water bottle in among her things and decided that that would do to clean her shoulder up. The other wounds she needed to clean were the two neat puncture wounds on her neck where Vladimir had bitten her. Because Torgny had been quick to get the ointment on her neck after she'd been bitten, the wounds had remained clean and the Vampire venom had died off… at least, she hoped it had.

"Tasya Van Lura let me in this room! NOW!" Van Helsing pounded on the door again, wondering if it was worth kicking it open.

Using a ripped up cloth, she wiped the dried and caked blood off her shoulder and gently cleaned the wound. Each little movement hurt and Tasya wondered how long it would be before she could use her arm fully without it hurting. If she were extremely careful for the next few days, the wound would start to heal and if for the next few weeks after that, she did not manage to aggravate it, the wound would heal over completely. Ripping another bit of material off an old shirt, Tasya pulled the cork out of the bottle of whisky and poured some of the liquid out onto the cloth.

"Right, bite your tongue Tas and be quick." She muttered to herself as she strained her other arm around to clean the slash wound with the whisky.

When Van Helsing heard a moan of pain come from inside the room, he stood back and kicked the door open. "Tasya!" He shouted, storming into the room.

He came to a sudden halt when he saw that she was all right and that she was standing in front of a mirror trying to clean the wound on her shoulder. Tasya glared at him, her blue eyes dark with annoyance.

"I hope you didn't break that door Van Helsing." Her voice was like a lash – cold and unforgiving.

"I'm sorry Tasya but when I heard your moan of pain, I thought something was wrong." Gabriel stared at her, noticing that she wasn't wearing a shirt.

Tasya shook her head and went back to cleaning her wound with some difficulty. Walking over to her, Van Helsing took the cloth and the bottle of whisky from her hands and gently wiped the angry looking wound. Closing her eyes, Tasya wondered when the last time was that someone had cleaned her wounds for her. It wasn't something that Torgny did because he was scared of women and because of how wanted she was, Tasya very rarely went anywhere near a doctor. The gentleness of Van Helsing's administrations was a welcome relief to the quick clean up she would normally do.

"Why are you so hard on yourself Tasya? So unforgiving with your own soul?" He asked quietly, letting his hands fall away from her warm skin.

Tasya's eyes opened and she growled, "I have to be hard on myself otherwise the pain of what I have done, what I have caused will destroy me. No matter how hard I try, I can never wash the blood of my family from my hands and that is a sin, a crime, which I must atone for."

"And that is why you throw yourself into dangerous situations trying to get yourself killed? Where is the reason in that?"

"I'm surprised you did not ask what I had done that I must atone for."

He shook his head, "I don't need to be told because I understand completely. Do you know how many people I have killed Tasya? I have the blood of hundreds on my hands and that is an evil for which I will always be cursed for."

"Your curse is the same as mine. Perhaps if we had never met, you would be the only one with that curse. But what is the greater evil Gabriel, your killing of evil monsters which plague mankind or my being the reason why my brothers were killed… among other members of my family." Tasya's voice was barely audible and Van Helsing could feel the pain in her soul radiating out through her skin.

Lifting a hand, Van Helsing ran a fingertip up along her spine until it reached the back of her neck. Walking around to stand in front of her, he pulled her against him and lowered his head to gently kiss her lips, holding the back of her head with his hand. Breaking off the kiss, he spoke softly, "You did not cause their deaths Hanne, your cousin did but Dracula is dead now and we have to work together to destroy Vladimir because if we do not, he will kill countless numbers of innocent people."

Her blue eyes were dilated and Tasya swallowed, "But their deaths are my fault Gabriel, just like Torgny's death will be my fault. I should have killed Vladimir before he was able to join Dracula in his evil plan. Her death was my fault and I have to live with that. You could never understand."

"Her death? Who do you mean?"

"Bellona."

His breath caught in his throat, "Who was Bellona, Tasya?"

"My daughter. She was only a year and a half when Dracula killed her along with my two younger brothers. He wanted revenge but he refused to kill me as well. Said that he wanted me to live my life suffering from the memory of having to watch him drain my child dry before tearing her limb from limb. My poor little brothers suffered the same fate. That was when I resolved myself to be just like you." Tears fell from her eyes and Tasya appeared distant.

Van Helsing kissed her forehead, "Who was the father? Did he know what had happened?"

"No, he did not know what had happened because he had disappeared. But he knows now." He felt her still against him, her breathing slowing down.

"What do you mean?"

Tasya pulled away and looked up at him with her large blue eyes, "You were the father Gabriel Van Helsing. You were the father of my little daughter Bellona."


	9. Chapter Nine: A heavy resolve

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA.

Chapter Nine: A heavy resolve.

            Ever since she had revealed her secret to him, Tasya had been avoiding Van Helsing's company with a passion. Whenever he came into a room, she would automatically leave. If he spoke to her, she replied in as few words as she could manage. Carl didn't really understand what was going on but Van Helsing knew that it was her way of coming to terms with her past.

            It was getting to the point where Van Helsing was relaying his messages to Tasya through Carl because the friar was on "safe" terms with the Transylvanian woman. However, the certifiable genius was beginning to get annoyed with the situation and he was turning his mind away from the task at hand for a while to try and think of a way to get the two monster slayers to put aside their petty little problems and deal with Vladimir without any more distractions.

            "Distractions? Ha!" He snorted to himself, studying the painting displaying how a werewolf could kill Dracula. "Now if only the answer of how to kill Vladimir was so obvious…."

            Wandering into the room, Tasya arched her eyebrows at him, "Talking to yourself again Carl? I remember hearing somewhere that talking to oneself is a sign of insanity."

            "I heard some where that insanity walks hand in hand with genius. Have you got a good response to that?" Carl glanced up at her and smiled.

            Returning the smile faintly, she walked over to a bookcase, which was against the wall and traced her hands over the books. Suddenly, she pulled a book out on an angle and the bookcase slid away. Chuckling, Tasya bounded down the stairs with a startled looking Carl watching her disappear from the top of the stairs that lead down from the opening in the wall.

            "Van Lura! Don't go down there, you don't know what could be lurking in the dark. Van Lura!" He shouted down after her, fretting over the idea that she might get hurt.

            "Lurking down here? Why, absolutely nothing is lurking down here Carl, I assure you of that. Now, if you would kindly slip that book back into place, I'd be very thankful. A woman needs her peace, you know." She called up to him, her eyes adjusting to the light quickly.

            Scratching his head thoughtfully, Carl walked back around to look at the book and memorized the position that the key book was in. Slipping it back into its original position, he watched the bookcase slide shut again with a snap and the case left no sign that it had ever moved. Clicking his tongue, the friar wondered where Tasya had learnt about the bookcase… or better yet, when? He was also curious as to how he could have missed the trick, as he was sure that he'd looked at the book before.

            "Wait!" He peered at the book, reading the name of it along the binding, "Well that makes sense! There are two copies of this book here! I must have read the other copy, not realizing that there was another one."

            Having noticed the way that the trick had been done, Carl started looking around for any thing similar around the room that might lead to something important. If he could find any more exact double copies off books, Carl hoped that there might be more pictures like the one that showed how to kill Dracula. Only, he prayed that they would show a way to kill Vladimir.

            Anything would do really. Any clues or ideas as to how Van Helsing and Van Lura were to kill the horrid Vampire would be a great big help. He didn't want to stay any longer in the God forsaken land where Vampires, werewolves and God knew what else roamed in abundance. When they destroyed Dracula, Carl had thought that they were done, that they had destroyed the worst there could be.

            "Van Lura was probably right when she told us to go back to Rome and let her do her job. This isn't my fight… hell, it isn't even Van Helsing's job." Carl muttered, oblivious to the fact that the said Van Helsing was standing there at the door, watching him.

            "What on earth are you looking for Carl?" His voice rung out across the room briefly which startled the friar out of his thoughts. "And why was Tasya right when she said that we should go back to Rome? This Vampire is evil and it is our job to destroy evil."

            Sighing, he turned away from the bookshelves, "But this mission is personal to Van Lura… I don't think we should be involving ourselves in her personal battle. Maybe she wants Vladimir to destroy her because she feels that she must atone for something that she did to him?"

            Walking into the room, Van Helsing shrugged and picked up a book to look through the pages. "Well it doesn't matter anymore Carl, we've said that we'll help her and even if she doesn't want our help….  Carl, try not to have any doubts about this because we killed Dracula. How much harder could Vladimir be to kill?"

            "I suppose you're right Van Helsing but I can't help but feel guilty over impeding on her mission. Even if she doesn't go by the Holy Order's orders anymore, she was the one assigned this mission. How would you feel if someone came in and forced their help on you while you were on a mission? Not very happy I bet."

            His comment caused Gabriel to fall silent and to think carefully. Not wanting to admit that Carl was right about how he would feel if someone joined him on a mission without his good grace. Was that really what he had done to Tasya? If it was, he wanted to find her so that he could apologize.

            Taking the silence of his companion as an affirmation, Carl shook his head. "Now do you see why I think we should go back to Rome? Van Lura can do this on her own and if she fails… well, then you can come and deal with Vladimir. But let her at least try and win before you start rushing in."

            "Have you found out how to kill Vladimir yet?" Van Helsing decided to ignore their whole previous conversation and start a new one.

            "Some times you really are the most insufferable bastard Van Helsing. Why don't you ever listen? Your being here is killing Tasya! Don't you understand how much pain you cause her?" Carl shouted, dropping the book he had in his hands.

            Settling the book back down, Gabriel frowned, "My being here is killing Tasya? How could that happen? We talked about… things… and she told me what I wanted and needed to know. Hopefully, she's come to terms with our past and is accepting a new and different future. I am not causing her pain."

            "But you are Van Helsing! Can't you see that she is desperately seeking a way away from you without leaving her mission and her friend behind? Tasya Van Lura is not Hanne Valerious anymore; she is not the woman you were in love with anymore and you're just going to have to accept that. I know that your memories aren't completely there and that you've only begun to remember bits and pieces… all about her… but we have to leave. She needs to do this by herself in order to be able to move on. It is her way of atoning for the deaths of her family."

            _"Sometimes Van Helsing," The sadness in her eyes was out of place with the smile on her face, "Sometimes a person has to choose death over life in order to be able to move on. If one cannot move on, one cannot enter heaven."_

_            "But Hanne, if someone was to choose death over life, wouldn't their soul start to fade away and nothing around them would give them joy?" He asked in response._

_            She shook her head, "Nothing would inspire them to come back from it either. I have been told that death is the easy way out but I disagree. Life is the easy way out because it is easier to go on living with one's crimes than it is to choose to face the ultimate judge."_

_            "Promise me Miss Valerious, that you will never choose the easy way out."_

_            "I can assure you Gabriel, I refuse to take the easy way out. I am a Valerious and we never choose the easy way out of things. No matter what, we keep going in life or death because darkness never rests. One day I know that our family will come to an end and I hope that one of us at least lives to see the end of evil in Transylvania. A Valerious must be there to usher such a day into our land." Hanne lifted her face to the ray of sunlight that was shinning down through the clouds._

_            In that moment, Van Helsing saw the timid girl hiding behind the mature warrior princess exterior. She had grown up too soon for her age and had seen many things that would drive a normal person insane. He would have given anything right then to make the world a better place for her to live so that her younger brothers would not have to cope with the same fate. Transylvania was not a place for the lighthearted or the meek and if they were unfortunate enough to be born there, they had best learn quickly how to pretend to be tough._

_            "Do you think that will ever happen Miss Hanne Valerious? Will there ever be a time when no evil walks this earth and all innocents can live in peace?" His voice was soft, barely disguising the sorrow he had felt at her words._

_            Hanne laughed, "No Mr Gabriel Van Helsing, I do not think that there will ever be a time like that. The world will always need people like you and I to fight the evil that walks in the shadows. I just wish that I could be here to guide my homeland into the light."_

_            "Perhaps you will be. Perhaps you will be."_

            "I would not want to live a life with the same curse as you Gabriel. Never would I want that curse."

            "She plans to kill herself when she destroys Vladimir… if, she destroys Vladimir." Van Helsing murmured.

            Carl arched an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

            "A very smart woman once said to me once that sometimes a person has to choose death over life in order to be able to move on."

            "I can guess who said that. It sounds like something Tasya would say." The friar pursed his lips, "Why would she wish death on herself with as much passion as she does?"

            "Because life is the easy way out because it is easier to go on living with one's crimes than it is to choose to face the ultimate judge." Tasya's voice came from the doorway and both men turned around to stare at her.

            Carl was flustered. He glanced around at the bookshelf that had moved to reveal a doorway when she used the right trigger. It was still closed stubbornly and even if it had opened again, he and Van Helsing would have heard it. "How'd you?"

            She smiled, "How'd I what Carl? You're not going to tell on me are you?"

            "No, no, of course not. Why would I do that Miss Van Lura? You said you wanted your privacy and I'll respect that. There's no need for good old Van Helsing here to know. None at all." He spluttered, avoiding Van Helsing's gaze.

            Pivoting on her heel, Tasya turned her intense blue eyes towards Gabriel. "Why are you discussing what I plan to do with my life? What I am going to do when Vladimir is dead has nothing to do with you and it simply never will."

            "Doesn't it? You are a stubborn woman and you always have been! Remember the day when you told me that you wished you could be there to guide Transylvania into the light? I said that you might be. Well you are here! Guide your land into the light, don't just make plans to die while destroying Vladimir." He snapped back at her angrily.

            She was infuriating sometimes and this was one of those times. He couldn't think of a worse time to be having an argument with someone as stubborn or intelligent as her. Tasya knew what she should be doing but this time, she was planning to take the easy way out. In her mind and heart, she wanted to join her family and the people who had mattered to her. She wanted to rest peacefully in heaven with her dead daughter, parents, siblings and the rest of her family.

            " I'm sorry Gabriel, Carl, but I must do this. I cannot allow you both to throw away your lives because of my mission, of my duty. The world needs the two of you more than it needs me. My time here is nearly done." And taking a step backwards, Tasya shut the door to the room they were in and locked it from the outside before pushing something heavy in front of it.

            Leaping to the door, Van Helsing tried to kick it open but Tasya had foreseen his plans to do that. "HANNE! TASYA! Don't do this! Please don't do this!"

            Not sure what to do, Carl watched the monster slayer pound his fists on the door, shouting for her to let them out. When finally Van Helsing gave up on that, he put his back to the door and slid to the ground, his face in his hands.

            "Van Helsing?" Carl asked tentatively, wondering what was wrong with the man.

            "She's going after him. She's going to her doom willingly… just like Vladimir wants her to. I couldn't stop her Carl, I failed in that. It's my fault. Everything." There were tears in his eyes as he lifted his head to look at his companion. "She doesn't want me to save her."

            Glancing back at the bookshelf, Carl frowned. He was going to have to do it. He was going to have to betray Tasya's trust and reveal the secret way out to Van Helsing. "Forgive me Tasya, but you leave me no choice."

            Walking over to the bookshelf, he copied what she had done earlier and stepped back as the bookshelf started to slide open. Staring in disbelief, Van Helsing leapt up and ran down the stairs, shouting for Carl to follow him.

            "I need everything we've got Carl. Something's going to have to work even if it means dismembering Vladimir and scattering his remains around the world in places where the sun will destroy them. But we must stop him before he kills Tasya." Van Helsing stopped short when they came up against a wall. "Now how would we get out of here?"

            Studying what he could see, Carl's quick mind realized that the small looking stone with the same symbol as that which was on Van Helsing's ring – the one he took from Dracula the first time he killed him – was the key to getting out. Cringing, he stepped back.

            "Push that stone in. The one with the cross symbol on it… the one that looks like your ring." He told the monster slayer.

            Shrugging, Van Helsing did as he was told and stepped back beside Carl. They watched as the wall separated and opened up, revealing a wine cellar, which Van Helsing knew, was part of the Valerious manor home. Bolting out of the space, Carl was quicker than Van Helsing to get away.

            "You really don't like small dark places do you Carl?" He asked with a slight grin.

            "I'm a sensible man Van Helsing. I know not to stay to long in such places." The friar replied.

            "Let us just hope that we can find Tasya before Vladimir does. Perhaps then we will be able to lock her in a room like that. One that doesn't have secret entrances… By the way, how did you know that that existed?"

            Carl shrugged, "Tasya showed me not all that long before you showed up. She said she needed some private time and that she could find any where private enough around the place."

            "Did she really?"

            "Well yes, in a way."

            "I'm sure she did Carl." The corners of Van Helsing's mouth turned up slightly.

            "She did!" Carl snapped.


	10. Chapter Ten: Forgive me Tasya

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA. I am **sooooo sorry** that this has taken so long to update but I've been busy with block exams and a huge legal report. **Unfortunately**, I'm still really busy so this story won't be updated as quickly as I had been before. Thank you all so very much for sticking with me. I really do love you guys heaps for reading.

Chapter Ten: Forgive me Tasya.

She stepped out into the swirling snow and her skin chilled all the way through, which caused her to shiver. Tasya shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts that were begging her to turn around and go back through the mirror-like doorway. Vladimir would be waiting for her, she knew, with Torgny at his feet. That the treat of death hung over her long time friend and companion's head angered the woman and she hated it when she was angry.

"Don't worry Vladimir, you won't destroy me this time. No, you will never destroy me." Tasya murmured to herself, walking towards the castle.

Stopping at the open doors, she couldn't help but wonder at how strange the place was. It wasn't somewhere that she had been since her uncle had created it in order to keep his son – her cousin – away from the world to prevent him from doing harm. That was before the Devil gave him wings. She was glad though, that the Devil hadn't allowed Dracula to come back again for she did not think that anyone would have been able to destroy him if that had happened… not even Van Helsing.

The air was crisp and Tasya felt troubled. Her getting in was too easy and she did not think that Vladimir would have let her in with no argument. Not when he knew she was coming to kill him. No, he would have made it as difficult as possible in order to wear her down before she reached him. A tired woman would make for an easy victory, as he would be likely to believe.

"What's going through your mind Vladimir? This isn't like you to make things easy for me. No, you always had to make things harder than they should be. That was one of the reasons why my cousin kept you as his friend. You could think of good ways to make things complicated for others." Her voice was faint and Tasya could see her breath in the air in front of her.

Her footsteps were the only sound that Tasya could hear and she sincerely wished for some other sound to fill the air… so long as it was anything but Vladimir. By God, she would even welcome Carl's chatter at the moment. Sighing, she resolved herself to the silence that surrounded her and prayed that it wouldn't end too soon because as long as it was silent, she knew she wasn't under attack.

Heading up the closest stairs, she headed for where she knew a great hall was to be found. Something told her that she would find what she sought after in that room.

"Well, let's go and find out what Vladimir wants." She murmured to herself but found no reassurement in it.

Van Helsing pushed Carl through the mirror-door and leapt through after him. He hoped that Tasya hadn't gotten herself killed in the time it took them to gather their things together and to head for the tower room.

"Come on Carl, let's hurry up and find that forsaken, foolish woman." He growled, setting off at a fast pace for the castle.

When they reached it, they found the entrance in the same fashion that Tasya had but Van Helsing did not have the insight into Vladimir's nature that she did. He assumed that the Vampire was making it easy for them to get in for some reason. Perhaps to make them let down their guards a little so that he found it easier to kill them.

"Sorry to disappoint you Vladimir, but your plan won't work." He muttered under his breath, noticing the footsteps in front of them.

Carl shot him a look that plainly said 'if we get out of here, I'm never going to leave Rome again,' and shook his head before actually speaking. "How are we going to find Tasya in this place before Vladimir does? Well, how do we know that he doesn't already have her?"

"We don't."

"Oh." The friar shook his head again in confusion. "Then how are we going to save Tasya?"

Van Helsing smiled, "We're going to save that foolish woman by distracting Vladimir's attention away from her and causing him to come after us instead. Hopefully by doing that, we'll be able to kill him before he kills Tasya."

Thinking about if for a moment, Carl cringed at the thought, "You know Van Helsing, I might just sit this one out. Tell me how it goes when you're finished." He stopped following the other man and turned around to walk back.

"A lone friar walking around a Vampire castle, what an interesting meal that would make for Vladimir. It's been nice knowing you Carl and I hope we meet again in Heaven." Helsing spoke calmly, as if he was simply talking about a tea party.

"On the other hand, I think you might need my help killing this monster." Carl returned to his place a few steps behind Van Helsing.

Grinning, Gabriel replied, "Knew you would see it my way. When one is trying to destroy a Vampire, one always needs the help of a certifiable genius."

That comment pleased Carl to no end, "When you put it that way Van Helsing, I guess I had better come along. You probably won't kill him without my help."

"Let's just hope that Vladimir doesn't need to be killed by a werewolf like Dracula did… seeing how we're fresh out of werewolves and the cure for them."

Saying that brought another memory up out of his mind and Van Helsing had to stop short before he fell down with the intensity of it.

_"There is a cure for werewolves Van Helsing." Hanne looked at him across the table laden with scrolls. "It is a secret that my cousin told me when we were younger… after he made his first pact with the Devil, when he first decided to try and make me his wife."_

_ Gabriel Van Helsing frowned at her, "But if there is a cure, why are there so many werewolves in Transylvania? Wouldn't you be out there trying to save some of the poor innocents who have become werewolves?"_

_ "It is most unlucky for them that the cure will not work after their first full moon. Besides, the cure is made from the blood of a Vampire mixed in with the blood of a pure soul. I do not know what a pure soul is exactly, if it means clean of sin or not. But it does not matter for there are no Vampires in Transylvania that I know of… yet." She replied._

_ "But surely you could find one and try to make a cure?"_

_ "What would be the point? The person trying to give the werewolf the cure would surely die in the attempt even if they were successful! No, the existence of such a cure is something I will take to my grave and I hope that you do not ever try to make one yourself." Her clear blue eyes met his brown ones darkly._

_ He arched an eyebrow, "You claim that you want to help your land into the light and yet you will not find a way to make the cure that will save the innocents who are turned into werewolves? A contradiction of your soul Hanne."_

_ Hanne shrugged, "Gabriel, sometimes we have to make hard choices and this is one of them. If people knew that there was a way to save their loved ones from becoming a werewolf, they would try to hunt down every werewolf in existence and change them back. I have already told you that it will not work after the werewolves' first full moon. Do you have any idea how many werewolves there are in Transylvania? Hundreds of them."_

_ "But what about those poor people who might yet become werewolves?" Van Helsing asked._

_ "I will try and kill the werewolves that already exist in order to stop that from happening. There is nothing else that I can do."_

_ "Don't you at least want to try? If you don't try and help those poor people who are trapped in the forms of werewolves, you will never know if they can be helped. Your cousin told you that the cure only works on a werewolf before their first full moon is complete, but how do you know that he was telling you the truth?" He implored her to consider the option._

_ She shook her head sadly, "I believe him because after a werewolves first full moon, there is no humanity left in them. They are no longer the innocent humans that they might once have been. The change does not only change their form, it changes their soul as well. There is nothing to be done about it Gabriel Van Helsing, and I advise you to forget the idea. We must concentrate on destroying my cousin, not trying to rescue all the werewolves in Translyvania."_

His eyes snapped open and met Carl's worried ones. "I know how to make the cure. At least, I know what it is made from."

The friar looked excited, "But how do you know that? Doesn't matter. How is it done? What is it made from?"

"Hanne told me a long time ago. It is made from the blood of a Vampire mixed in with the blood of a pure soul. She wasn't sure what exactly a pure soul was but I'm betting I know who's blood was mixed with Dracula's to make the cure that changed me back." He started walking again, quicker than he had before the memory resurfaced in his mind.

"Whose blood? Whose blood do you think was used to make the cure?"

"Hers."

"But her soul is blackened with sin! She has murdered countless numbers of innocent people." Carl exclaimed.

Turning his head to look at him, Van Helsing smiled, "Besides that fact, can you think of anyone with a purer soul than Hanne Valerious?"

"Well… I'm not sure."

"I think it's a Valerious trait. If Anna was still alive, I would have said that her soul was just as pure."

"Are you still in love with Anna?"

He paused for a moment, thinking about it before replying, "Carl, I can't answer that. I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I fell in love with Anna because deep down in my soul, I recognized her as one on the same par as Hanne. They were very much the same. In a way, I believe that I loved her as well and I guess I still do. Don't ever fall in love with a woman Carl, they bring nothing but pain."

Carl nodded, "I wasn't intending to."

"Good idea."

Tasya looked around cautiously. She was sure that Vladimir wasn't here but something wasn't right… not that she knew what she thought wasn't right. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts and she could feel a headache coming on, one of those blinding pains that she had been getting ever since Vladimir had bitten her. It was disturbing and Tasya didn't like the idea that he might have done something to her that she did not know of.

"What will happen will happen and there is nothing I can do to stop it." She murmured to herself, keeping her eyes open wide.

If only she could smell the scents around her, Tasya would have been a happy woman. She at least would have been able to tell when Vladimir had been here last. Suddenly a noise caused her to spin around, the crossbow in her hand held ready.

"Come on Vladimir, show yourself and let me kill you."

There was laughter and Vladimir walked out of the shadows, dragging Torgny's limp body behind him. He dropped the priest at her feet before stepping back and smiling maliciously. But before Tasya could do anything, he had changed into his winged form and flown off.

Dropping to her knees beside Torgny, Tasya checked him for life. To her distress, there was blood on his face but she could not find any other wounds. His pulse was barely there and was slowly ceasing to be. For all she could tell, Torgny was dying and she did not know why. However, her downfall would be the fact that she had not checked his neck….

"I am sorry Torgny. Please forgive me. You should never have followed me to Transylvania. I should have made you go back to Rome like I had planned to do." Tears formed in her eyes and dropped onto his face, making trails in the blood that covered his features.

Covering her face with her hands, Tasya burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. She had lost so much to these Vampires that cursed her family. She had lost her family completely to the curse that followed them. Even her infant daughter, the result of her one night of love with her betrothed before he went out to kill her cousin, had been killed in this.

Why was she cursed to have to live through all of this? Through the years when by all rights, she should have aged and died like any other normal human? Was it because of her love of Gabriel Van Helsing who was the Left Hand of God? That was the only reasonable explanation that she could come up with and even that seemed a little far-fetched. But it had to be the reason; God must want her to be with his servant always.

Torgny's eyes flickered open but Tasya was too wrapped up in her grief to notice. He smiled hungrily, revealing the long fangs that were there now and sat up, inhaling the rich scent that came from Tasya. She smelt of roses and pine, an unusual combination. Before either could realize what was happening, Torgny had sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of Tasya's neck, drinking the rich blood that would sustain his life. But fighting back, she managed to cut him in a few places.

Van Helsing and Carl burst into the room just in time to see it happen and Van Helsing responded by letting loose a hail of bolts from his crossbow. Dropping her with a howl, Torgny turned to face his attackers. But no one noticed the blood dripping from the wounds that she had caused onto Tasya's face and into her mouth.

Moaning, Tasya covered her neck with a hand and struggled to her feet. She was weak from blood loss and close to fainting but she had to stop Van Helsing from killing Torgny even though he was a Vampire now. Carl rushed over to her, supporting her weight as best he could.

"No!" She cried, seeing Van Helsing preparing himself to shoot at Torgny again. "Don't kill him Gabriel."

Carl frowned, "But Van Lura, he's a Vampire now! He tried to kill you and yet you don't want to kill him?"

"He can't help it Carl. That isn't Torgny anymore."

"If it isn't Torgny anymore, why do you want him to stay alive?" The friar asked as they watched Van Helsing fire more bolts into the advancing Vampire.

Torgny turned to look at them, the last bit of his lucid mind prevailing on him. When he had realized that it was Tasya who he had fed from, his mind had changed but what remained of him wanted him to beg forgiveness from the woman who had helped him so much. "Tasya, forgive me." He whispered.

She turned to Carl and asked him to pick up her crossbow. "I am sorry to Torgny. You were like a little brother to me and I hate the fact that things have had to end this way. May we meet again at the Gates of Heaven when all things are come to an end."

"I must tell you Tasya, Vladimir plans to go the America's where no one will know of Vampires. You must stop him when he reaches the coast where a ship has been arranged to wait for him." Torgny walked towards her, accepting the fact that she was going to destroy him.

Lifting the crossbow in a weak and trembling hand, Tasya aimed at his heart, "Forgive me Torgny for having to do this. But thank you for the information because we will stop him before he can cause any more hurt."

"You need a werewolf to kill him like a werewolf was needed to kill Count Dracula. They are of the same ilk."

Pulling the trigger on the crossbow, Tasya shot him full of bolts, killing him before she collapsed.


	11. Chapter Eleven: A moment for comfort and...

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA.

Chapter Eleven: A moment for comfort and tears.

Van Helsing picked up Tasya's limp form and carried her away from the scene of her friend's death. He wasn't sure if she had blacked out because of blood loss or because of the shock of having to kill Torgny. The friar followed them quickly, after picking up the dropped weapons.

Watching from the shadows, a werewolf let out a rumbling growl, stalking them as they went along. They were both too occupied worrying about Tasya to notice and even Van Helsing's reliable ability to "sense evil" was out of order because of it. As soon as they reached the front of the castle, they ran through the falling snow to the mirror-door.

Glad that he still had Dracula's ring, Van Helsing stepped through the glassy surface, pulling Carl through after him. It was the key to going back through and without it, they wouldn't have been able to get out of there. Once back in the Valerious manor-castle, he carried her to the nearest couch and laid her down.

"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Carl stood back and asked, watching Van Helsing check her for other wounds.

Pulling back, Van Helsing noticed the blood on her face and crossed himself. It was a trail that lead to her mouth. "No. This cannot be."

Carl realized what he was talking about and started to pray to God. Telling him to shut up, Van Helsing crouched beside the couch and started shaking Tasya, trying to wake her up.

"NO!" She sat up, looking around wildly. Her eyes came to focus on the man beside her and she frowned, "Where is Torgny? Please tell me it was just a dream…."

Peering at her mouth, Van Helsing tried to see a change though he could sense no evil, "Are you still human Tasya?"

"What?" She looked shocked for a moment before wiping her mouth on her wrist and saw the bloodstains. Her eyes widened in horror and she looked to Van Helsing.

"We don't know whose blood it is Tasya but besides the bite on your neck, there are no other wounds. By the looks, Torgny didn't drink much of your blood." Gabriel spoke softly to her.

Shaking her head, Tasya blinked back tears, "It doesn't matter. Blood taken and blood given must be at least in ratio. For a small amount taken, a small amount can be given… just means that the change will take longer to happen. We must go after Vladimir and stop him before I become like him. If we can destroy him before I change, then I will be safe because he changed Torgny and the Vampire blood in me will be destroyed as well."

"Really?" The friar looked curious at this fact. "I didn't know that. Why didn't you tell us that before?"

"I didn't think it was necessary." She smiled at the man's humor even in such a dark situation.

Gabriel Van Helsing rose and offered her his hand. "Well then, we had better start riding for the coast before Vladimir goes. How long will it take him to reach there?"

She thought for a moment, "Knowing Vladimir, he will travel by coach and only at night. We can reach the coast at about the same time if you trust me and follow the same path that I take."

"Won't day light hurt you?"

"Not yet it won't. Don't worry Van Helsing, I will tell you when I think I'm going to change. So long as it doesn't happen before we reach the coast, then we should be able to kill Vladimir." Tasya stood up and walked out of the room, trying not to let them see how terrified she was.

This wasn't good.

Torgny wasn't meant to be turned.

She wasn't meant to be turned.

They were meant to kill Vladimir, not become like him.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" She kicked a door open in her anger and stormed into the room.

It was her old bedroom, still the same even after all the years she had been away. Anna had told her that it had been left like it was, that no one used it because it was considered cursed. Standing just inside the doorway, Tasya stared at the cradle over in one corner, the white netting around it covered in cobwebs and dust. Dracula had come in through the window beside it one night. He had come in and drained her baby dry right there. It had been the last time she ever came into this room.

Walking slowly towards the cradle, she didn't notice the tears running down her cheeks. She gripped the side of it tightly, her knuckles going white and the brittle wood splintering under the strength of her grip. Sobbing, Tasya remembered the year and a half she had had watching her daughter grow up. A year and a half was all that she had had.

"It isn't fair! Why have I lost everything that matters to me? Why must I watch everyone I love die? Was it something I did?" She screamed out, wishing that someone would reply, that God would reply.

Standing at the door, Van Helsing watched her drop to her knees, sobbing. He wanted to go to her, to comfort her but he didn't dare – she would probably try to kill him if he did… in fact, she probably blamed him for everything and he didn't blame her for that. Though he couldn't yet remember it, he knew that if he hadn't consummated his love for Hanne Valerious, she wouldn't have had a baby daughter and Dracula wouldn't have been able to break her mind, changing her by killing the baby girl Bellona.

"Making me loose Gabriel wasn't enough was it? You had to let Dracula kill my daughter as well. You took away my love and my child!" Tasya sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "And now this! Haven't I been through enough? Haven't I paid enough! Can't I just rest for once… that's all I want, you know… peace…."

He couldn't take it anymore and he walked over to her, falling to his knees beside her. "Tasya… Hanne…. Please don't cry."

Lifting her tear stained face to look at him, Tasya still cried freely. She didn't want him to see her like this. Not in this room that they had shared on their last night together. Even though it had been many, many long years ago, the pain was still fresh in her mind. The pain of loosing him, of loosing her daughter, of loosing her younger brothers… it was all there, locked away in her heart and mind, waiting for a time to break out and overwhelm her. But he was the key to all of the pain and emotions that she had locked away. The key and the source. If they had never met, then she would have never experienced as much pain and anguish as she had. But she wouldn't have felt as much love as she had when they were together for the time that they were.

"What are you doing in here Van Helsing?" She whispered the question, looking away from him.

Reaching out a hand, he stroked the side of her face gently. "I was worried about you. Worried that you might hurt yourself somehow in your anger. Please stop crying, everything is going to be all right in the end. Everything is always all right in the end."

Closing her eyes, she nuzzled his hand and inhaled the strong scent of him. A sure sign that her senses were already starting to change. "How do you know that everything will be all right in the end? I'm going to become a Vampire. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow night, but I will change and it won't be for the better. What will you do if I turn before we kill Vladimir? Will you have the strength to kill me like I had the strength to kill Torgny?"

"Don't think like that because we're going to kill Vladimir before the blood in you can cause you to change. But Torgny's blood was the blood that entered your system…." He brushed a strand of loose black hair out of her face.

"Torgny had only just been turned. Vladimir's blood was still in him and therefore, it was Vladimir's blood that has somehow gotten into my system. Already it is starting to change me. I can smell things that I couldn't smell before but only close up. It will still be some time before I change totally."

He took one of her hands in his other hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly, "Don't be so hard on yourself Tasya, that is your downfall. You must learn to accept that things will happen that are beyond your control. Open your heart and mind to the possibilities and try to forget the past. I learnt how to live with the fact that I have forgotten my past but you must learn to live with it."

The deep blue eyes that stared at him reflected her hurt and Tasya fought back more sobs in order to speak, "You do not understand Gabriel, I can't forget. To forget would be to forget my reason. I do not want to live my life without a reason. Revenge for their deaths is all that keeps me going these days… I would be lost otherwise. You might be able to forget the things you want to forget, but I cannot; I will not."

"You would choose to go insane rather than forget? The harder you cling to your past, the quicker you will destroy yourself. Destroy yourself and I…" He paused for a moment before continuing. "And I will not have anyone to love and protect."

_She ran up the stairs shouting his name desperately. If he had gone already, she didn't know what she would do. Something deep down told her that if he left before she could talk to him, her cousin would surely destroy him and she would be left alone in the world. _

"_Gabriel? Please don't have left me already Gabriel." Hanne murmured, opening the door to the room he was residing in._

"I haven't left you Hanne. I've come back."

_ Hearing the door open, he turned around to see her walk in with tears streaming down her cheeks. When she saw him, she let out a cry of delight and threw herself into his arms._

_ "Hanne, what are you doing here at this time of the night? What will your family think if they find out you came to my room in the middle of the night?" Van Helsing rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her tightly in his arms._

_ "Gabriel, do not leave yet. You must wait until morning to go after him because if you fight him while it is dark, he will surely beat you. Only by the pure light of day can you kill him. Please do this for me… I do not want to loose you to my cousin because should he win, he will come here and take me." Her blue eyes implored him to listen._

"You didn't listen to me Gabriel. You left to go after him before it was light." Tasya growled.

_Kissing her gently, he glanced over at his bed. "You know I must go my love for it is my duty to do so."_

_ Hanne stifled a cry of anguish, "Then I will never see you again! I could not bare the pain of loosing you as well as my parents Gabriel."_

_ "If that is what you believe my beloved, I can at least give you the best I have got before I leave."_

"And when I woke up Gabriel, you had gone! You had left in the night to go and destroy something that the night befriended."

He opened his eyes, remembering that what she said was true. "I had to Tasya and you know it. But I kept one promise to you from that night. I fought him in the day light."

"You kept two actually. Do not forget that you gave me the best you had and though it ended in tragedy, I did have two years of joy from it. Two years of love to give and for those years, I still had hope that you would return. I thought at first that you had been killed but he did not come, so I thought that you had died in killing him. Next I thought that you had perhaps returned to Rome to report that you had done as was asked. But you never came back and in the end, I did not know what to think. That is when I lost hope."

"Yet I am here now with you. What do you think now? Do you know what to think again or are you still lost for hope?"

She laughed in a cynical fashion, "Know what to think? I have always known what to think except when it comes to you. Lost for hope? I do not know. In some ways, I think I have hope again but in others, I don't think I have any hope because I haven't killed Vladimir yet and the blood of a Vampire has some how entered my system and is slowly changing me."

Frowning, Van Helsing asked her cautiously, "Is there anything you can do about it? To counter it in such a way that it will delay the change for a while? Like that ointment you have for treating the wounds caused by a Vampire's bite?"

"I hadn't actually thought of that but you might be onto something there. I wonder if I could mix the ointment into hot water and drink it like a tea? Should it enter my bloodstream, it would suppress the virus and act as an antibody to it for a while. Might even destroy it considering how little has probably entered my blood." Her eyes were thoughtful and she went to stand up.

Grabbing her wrist, Gabriel pulled her down against him. "Remember…."

"I could never forget Gabriel Van Helsing. One doesn't forget things that change one's life as much as that did." Tasya murmured, staring at him with wide eyes.

Lowering his lips to hers, he smiled.

"Perhaps we could recreate it… to refresh my memory of course…." He stroked her hair gently.

"Yes, yes, of course. To refresh your memory."

* * *

Well this has been my shortest chapter yet but I thought I would leave it at that. You can all guess what they are doing there… refreshing each other memories…cough cough. Anyway, what do you think? Is Tasya going to become a Vampire or will they kill Vladimir in time? I hated to kill off Torgny but he was a defunct character… in a way I guess. Now, please read and review everyone, other wise I won't have the encouragement to write any more chapters.


	12. Chapter Twelve: What the morning had to ...

**Wanted… Preferably Dead. **

By Latanya 

Disclaimer: Everything is great. I own nothing by my mind, my laptop and my PDA. Also, I'm sorry but this is going to have to be an ending for some time to this story. I finished this chapter and discovered that I couldn't really write any more to it. But don't worry; I will get around to finishing the next chapter and posting it as soon as I have the time but because now is the busiest time of the year at uni, I'm really run down and I've been quite sick of late.

Chapter Twelve: What the morning had to bring….

Because of Tasya and how weak she was at the moment, Van Helsing arranged it so that their ride would be undercover as much as possible. She had told him the quickest route to the sea, knowing that Vladimir would be taking it. His trip would be slower than theirs because they could ride through both day and night… at least, for the time being they could.

During the day, Van Helsing led them but when night fell, Tasya was the one in charge. The Vampire venom in her veins had already begun to change her and her senses were heightened. Understanding what she was going through, Van Helsing tried to support her as much as he could because he knew that she wasn't just fighting the change but the darkness as well.

Narrowing her eyes, Tasya glanced over her shoulder at the mountains. The sun was coming up and it was her third day since being bitten by Torgny… the third day since she had had to kill her companion of many years, the man who had saved her life on several occasions and who had kept her company even when the darkness threatened to come crashing in. This day that rose slowly with the sun would be the deciding day, Tasya knew, it would be the day that told her if her she was going to make it as far at the sea before she turned.

"Tasya, are you all right?" Van Helsing called a head to her, his dark eyes shadowed with worry… and with fear.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess." She called back, facing forward again and reminding herself that so long as she stayed in the shadows and out of the sun, she should be all right.

He glanced quickly at Carl, "Do you think she's telling the truth Carl? I think that she's worried about the sun… and you know what."

"You're probably right Van Helsing, but this is not the time nor the place to be talking about her problems." The friar pointed towards the distant sea. "That's our problem."

They could see white sails anchored a distance off the shore and a dark coach waiting. Vladimir would not risk going over to the ship while it was still daylight. Starting out towards it, Van Helsing and Carl were prepared to end it then and there if it hadn't been for Tasya's sudden scream.

"I can't… I can't leave the shade." She whispered, staring at the coach in anger. "You must kill him Gabriel and hurry."

Rushing back over to her, the man was horrified to see that her skin had been burnt away on her hands and arms where the sunlight had found her. "It's started hasn't it Tasya? Please don't tell me it has started."

Her blue eyes were clouded over and she pushed at him, indivertibly exposing her arms to the sunlight again. Biting her bottom lip to hold back her shriek, Tasya backed away from the edge of the forest, finding an area of deep shadow. "Go Van Helsing, destroy Vladimir. Destroy him before it is to late for me. You must for I cannot."

Meeting her pain filled eyes, Van Helsing spun his horse around and kicked him into a gallop, racing past Carl towards the coach. He was trying to escape the smell of burnt flesh though it lingered sharply with him. Whoever was driving the dark vehicle must have noticed him coming because a crossbow bolt flew past his face, thudding into the damp ground – he just hoped that he wouldn't be hit before he reached the coach. It was now more than a game of kill the evil beast. It was now a game of kill to save another's life. Looking between Tasya and Van Helsing, Carl couldn't decide whom to go with and was trying to work out whom his chances would be better with.

"Carl, unless you plan to kill me if Gabriel fails, you'd better go with him and make sure he doesn't fail." Tasya called from the shadows of the trees where she was seeking shelter.

He cringed and stared at her with his mouth open. "Kill you?" Carl squeaked. "I couldn't possibly kill you! Van Helsing would kill me if I killed you. Vampire or not."

"I don't care Carl. You will kill me if he fails. It is very important because I cannot be allowed to leave here as a Vampire… no Valerious should be doomed to that fate, not when the Gates of Heaven are now opened to us and I am the last."

"By God Tasya, are you absolutely sure about that? I mean, death is an eternal thing."

Tasya laughed softly, her eyes strangely shadowed. "By some curse I have lived hundreds of years. I have seen families rise and fall to the tide of time. There is nothing in this world that has any real hold over me. There is nothing to keep me from seeking death in order to join my family. Willingly would I lay my life down just so that I could be with my mother, my father, my brothers, my daughter and all those of my family who died over the years. Death is just a beginning Carl, a wonderful new beginning where one has the chance to prove that their soul is worthy of the light."

"Well, if you are totally sure about this. And I promise that I will try to kill you since you will become an evil, blood-sucking Vampire if Van Helsing fails which, I assure you, he will not! Van Helsing never fails when there is so much to loose from failing. This is not a mission that has been given to him by the Order… it is a mission that has been given to him by God himself." Carl declared proudly, pulling out a stake from one of the packs he had with him. "This will work on you won't it?"

Her look of amusement surprised him. "Of course. I'm not Dracula you realize. Related to him… yes… but that has nothing to do with it."

Van Helsing had reached the coach and was preparing to deal with the angry looking man whose size rivaled that of the Frankenstein Monster. "Oh wonderful." He growled.

"Prepare to die!" The man started to run at him with a long sword held out before him.

"How original. Never heard that one before." Van Helsing lifted his crossbow and fired three bolts straight into the man's chest.

However, given the momentum and speed at which the mad man was traveling, Van Helsing was caught by him and pushed to the ground even before the man was truly dead. From the trees, Tasya cried out and would have rushed to his aid had she not been hit by another beam of sunlight. For all appearances sake, it looked as if the man had managed to down Van Helsing.

"Is he dead?" She whispered to Carl, too scared to consider the idea.

He pushed the dead body off him and struggled to stand up, wincing in pain. The fall had caused several of Van Helsing's ribs to break due to the sheer weight of the man who had landed on him. "Just wonderful. I killed him so his ghost thought it would try to break my ribs as revenge."

Carl grinned. "Nope, he's alive though it looks like he's hurt."

"Can't see any wounds though…. There seems to be no blood either." Her response surprised even her. By all rights, she couldn't have told him how she knew that Van Helsing had shed none of his own blood since she didn't know… the scary part being that she could smell the blood that had once been the life support for the man who had just died.

"Well that's reassuring but how do you know about the blood?"

"Soon to be Vampire if he fails."

"Right. Forgot about that for a moment. I take it you can smell the blood?"

Her look of annoyance said it all and Carl instantly shut up. "Wise choice Carl. I wouldn't have wanted to have to gag you."

Van Helsing made his way slowly towards the coach with his weapons held ready as if he suspected an attack at any moment from within. It seemed very likely that there would be another person inside, guarding the _precious_ cargo. Tasya expected it. She knew that Vladimir would not have traveled with only one guard when he knew that Van Helsing as well as herself was on his trail.

"Where are you…." Gabriel murmured with his eyes locked on the door to the coach as he reached out his hand to yank open the door. "Something is not right here. You should have more people protecting you Vladimir. This seems to open."

At the same time, Tasya was biting her bottom lip. "It's a ruse. He's not there. I'm sure of it. Vladimir would not travel so light. He was always into big guards and fancy protection."

Pulling open the door and leaping back, Van Helsing surveyed that there was only a lidded coffin inside the coach. Frowning more, he glanced back at where he could see the other two watching him. Tasya's life and her soul depended on him destroying Vladimir. She would change for the worse if he did not. Calling to Carl to come and help him, Van Helsing started to drag the coffin out of the coach. Upon reaching him, the friar said a quick prayer and helped lift the wooden box out and onto the sand of the beach.

"Step back Carl, this might get messy. I suspect that Vladimir is in here and when we expose him to the suns rays, he should go poof."

"Poof? Are you sure he'll go _poof_? I mean, since when to Vampires go poof?" Carl argued.

Shooting him a dark glare, Van Helsing started to open the lid. "How is Tasya? Is she all right to be left on her own while we do this?"

"She doesn't think he's in there. Thinks this is all a ruse and he's somewhere else. Said she was sure he wasn't. You know, her sense of smell has become incredible! She could smell that man's blood all the way over there in the forest."

"Carl?"

"Yes Van Helsing?"

"Shut up and back away so that I can throw this lid off. On the count to three. One. Two. Three!"

Carl leapt back as Van Helsing kicked the lid off of the coffin the rest of the way. When he did so, he dashed backwards a few steps and grabbed the crossbow he had put down while he was handling the coffin.

There was nothing inside except a fluttering white dove.

"It's empty." He whispered.

"Can't be! Where would a sun sensitive Vampire be hiding at this time of the day?" Carl replied with a snort.

They watched the dove fly away, revealing a note underneath. Picking it up as if it was poisonous, Van Helsing read it out loud. "I see you managed to kill the stupid guard I left guarding an empty coffin. Congratulations. I also assume that Hanne managed to kill her pet priest. Pity, he would have made an interesting addition to my armies. By the time you read this, I will have already set sail from a different port to my new home. A place that I have no intentions of indulging you with the locations of… but you would hopefully be smart enough to know that and even if you are not, Hanne Valerious is. Wish her luck and please, do inform her that I enjoyed the babe that she birthed all those years ago."

"NO!" The friar seemed to realize what this meant and turned around to start back towards the forest.

Smiling to herself, Tasya could hear every word. When Van Helsing had kicked open the coffin, it had dawned on her that Vladimir would have no real way of knowing that she was turning into a Vampire. He would have assumed that Torgny had left her weak and that either she or Gabriel had killed him. It would not have occurred to him that by some stroke of misfortune, she would have been cursed even more.

"But every dawn I have seen does not compare with this one." She murmured, memories of her long life flittering through her mind. "I have been both blessed and cursed with a long and interesting life. Forgive me father for I have sinned. May my death reconcile those who were innocent when I took their lives from them. At times, I indeed strayed from the path that you set before me, a path that was intended to test my strength. I just hope that this final test of my soul and my determination will bless me with forgiveness and with the right to enter into Heaven to join my beloved family."

She leapt down from her horse and pulled out from a pocket a silver chain and crucifix. Securing it around her neck, Tasya lifted her hand and waved to Van Helsing and Carl who were running towards her.

Everything around her seemed to slow down and Tasya was sure that she felt the presence of her brothers and family around her.

Walking out into the sunlight, she didn't even feel pain. '_I am free at last... at last. Mother, father, brothers, my sweet Bellona; I am coming to join to join you all at last. Anna, Velkan, I shall see you both again and we can exchange stories of battles fought. Gabriel, I hope you forgive me one day but I had no choice. May peace be with you.'_

"TASYA! NO!" Gabriel shouted, seeing what she was about to do.

But Carl stopped him before they could reach her. "It is what she wants. She knows that Vladimir has gone… actually, I think she knew the whole time that he wouldn't be here."

"NO!" Van Helsing pushed Carl away and started running towards Tasya.

But there was a slight wind that lifted the fine grains of sand and dust, blowing away all traces of Tasya's form. It lifted the men's hair and stirred the leaves in the trees.

Tasya Van Lura was gone for good. She had been a warrior in her own right, seeking justice when it was called for.

But she had also been a cold-hearted killer. An assassin who had killed for money.

Pulling out a large glass vile from his robes, Carl held it out to Van Helsing. "I thought it was strange when she gave this to me last night but I think you should have it."

Taking the vile of what appeared to be blood, the man blinked back a tear. "Did she say anything when she gave it to you?"

"Well she said that it was both the blood of a pure soul and of a Vampire. Combined like it should be. She said that you would know what to do with it and where to find the answer."

And with Tasya Van Lura had left Hanne Valerious. She had been the last Valerious to leave the world of the living and the second eldest. She had been a clear link to his past and she had helped him remember fragments of what had been a totally different time in his life.

_She was gone._

And they cried for her in a moment where they forgot who they were and desired nothing more than to grieve for a soul that had just passed in a final act of bravery and of love.

_But somewhere else in the continent, a baby girl just newly born was opening intense blue eyes to look upon the world. When she grew up, only God knew what she would be but the path set in front of her feet was one that had rivaled those of heroes in stories that were untold. Would she shake the foundations of the church with her determination? Would time eventually cause her to discover a truth that should never have been forgotten? Her soul was old, at least as old as some kingdoms that still exist… if not as old as the world was._

_ She was chosen._

_ She was vengeance reborn._


End file.
